He rushed towards Fred like a mad bull, and had he caught him in his arms, Fred would have fared none too well, for a time.  But my friend darted one side, and as his adversary rushed past, he delivered another blow in the vicinity of the man’s right ear, that stopped his headlong career, and he dropped to mother earth once more, baffled, bewildered, and discouraged.

“Hullo!  Fighting here?” shouted a voice, and half-a-dozen policemen rushed into the ring, and pounced upon Fred and Tom before a third blow could be struck.

The assembled miners did not dare to interfere, for fear their licenses would be forfeited by the government commissioner.  Therefore no murmuring was heard.

“Prize fighting, hey?” cried the sergeant of the force.  “Away with them to the prison.”

“Had you not better investigate first, Mr. Sergeant,” I said, touching his arm.

He looked me full in the face, and I recognized the man as one whom we had met the day before, upon our return from Snakes’ Paradise.  His bold, confident air instantly deserted him, and he was as civil as I could desire.

“O, I beg your pardon, sir—­I did not see you before,” he said, touching his cap, with a military salute.  “What can I do to serve you, sir?”

“You have my friend in custody.  Of course, you recollect all the instructions of the inspector.”

“To be sure I do, sir.  I think that there must be some mistake here, and will instantly set him at liberty; but the miner who has dared to strike him shall be punished.”

“That is unnecessary, as he has already been handled rather roughly,” I said; and in a few words I explained to the policemen the origin of the affair.

“Ah, yes, I see, you were quite right in what you have done, and I regret that I didn’t arrive on the ground before, to have saved you this annoyance.  Release that gentleman,” the sergeant said, turning to his men.  “He is a friend of the inspector’s.”

The men obeyed without a word in opposition, and the crowd took courage at the sight, and attempted a feeble applause.

“As for you, sir,” the sergeant said, turning to the miner, who appeared to be completely cowed by the array of force against him, and who expected nothing less than a sentence of thirty days’ hard work on the roads for the part that he had taken in the fight, “you may thank these gentlemen for their forbearance in not urging your punishment, which you certainly deserve.  Give the boy in charge of the gentlemen, and, mark me, I shall have an eye on your future habits.”

The poor lad, half crazed with delight, shed tears at his deliverance, and declared that he would serve us to the best of his ability; while the fellows who had used him so harshly sneaked to their tents without uttering a word concerning their reputed robbery.

We thanked the sergeant for his interference, and with the lad walked to our store—­but after we were clear of the crowd the boy appeared to be in a reflective mood, and scarcely exchanged a dozen words with us; and even when we told him that he should live with us for the present, and share our hard beds, his gratitude did not appear to be overpowering, and he hung his head as though he was not worthy of so much attention.