“Arrah, now, Mr. Inspector, don’t be after doing that,” shouted the Irishman; but in defiance of his cries he was handcuffed and driven along with the rest.

We had got a few yards from the hut when Mrs. Judy appeared at the door, looking a little the worse for her late usage.  Her hair was hanging over her shoulders, and her dress was torn in a dozen places.  Both feet were bare, and none too clean; but little she cared for her appearance just then.

“For the love of St. Patrick, Mr. Inspector, stop a minute, and don’t be after carrying away Mike, the poor, harmless divil.  Lave him here wid me, and we’ll pay the tax without a murmur.”

“Too late,” cried Mr. Brown, without turning his head, although I could see that he was disposed to come to terms.

“Ough, don’t say that, bless yer handsome face and yer kind heart.  What could I do, sure, widout me Mike?  Lave him here wid me, and if the blackguard has been insulting ye I’ll punish him, depind upon it.”

“It’s not of your husband that we complain,” the inspector said; “he would act decently, and pay his tax, if you would let him.”

“Ah, then—­glory to God—­poor Mike is safe; and I thought all along that he wouldn’t disgrace his Judy so much as to refuse what a just gentleman like ye demands.  Pay the officer the tax, and say no more about it.  It’s but a trifle.”

The sergeant looked at Mr. Brown, and the latter glanced at the sergeant.  There was but little use in making Mike work on the road, if he had the money to pay for his month’s mining; so a halt was called, and the woman quickly poured out dust enough from a cracked teacup to satisfy the demands of government, and then Mike was restored to the dirty arms of his better half.

“I hope that all the taxes collected do not come as hard as this,” Fred said, addressing the inspector.

“They all pay out their money with an ill grace; but our worst cases, with one exception, are over.”

As we passed through the several districts, many of the miners stood ready with their gold, and after answering to their names, paid their taxes without a murmur; and even while disputes were going on, they did not prevent the clerks who accompanied us from attending to their duties.

All those who did not possess the cash were required to follow in our train, as captives, to work out a certain amount on the roads.  Men who had been sick, and were incapable of raising ten shillings, were shown no indulgence whatever; and although we often interceded, and our wishes were granted in every case, yet we felt that the inspector’s orders were rigid, and that we were imposing upon good nature, to make requests in every instance where poverty compelled a miner to decline paying his tax.