“I’m engaged by the commissioner to endeavor to find out the feelings of these misguided men,” Steel Spring said, still whispering.

“In other words, you are a spy,” I remarked.

“Vell, I don’t know about that,” he said; “I’se promised to get all the facts that I can hear, and let the commissioner know ’em.  If that is vot you call a spy, I s’pose I’m one on ’em.”

“And the pay is large, I suppose?”

“Vell, I can find no fault in that line yet.  I s’pose that I shall earn my money, no matter ’ow ’igh the wages is.”

“Well, I don’t envy you, if these rough miners get an inkling of your profession.  Look out for them, for they don’t understand practical joking,” I remarked.

“That for ’em!” ejaculated Steel Spring, snapping his fingers.  “I know something that vill take the edge off of ’em, if they show any of their spite.”

“That’s all talk,” I replied.

“Perhaps it is;” and Steel Spring shook his head with mysterious silence.

“Give us the information, and let us see how important it is,” Mr. Brown remarked.

“Vell, then, vot do you think of a company of artillery comin’ ’ere?”

“Impossible!” I replied; “there’s been no artillery ordered here as yet.  There’s soldiers and policemen enough.”

“The commissioner don’t think so, for four days ago he sent word to Melbourne for a company to come up and bring their guns vid ’em, and the coveys is already on their vay.”

“Then he must have sent despatches that the miners know nothing about,” remarked Mr. Brown, in a musing tone.

“Lord bless you, I should ’ope so,” returned Steel Spring, with some disdain; “he is von of ’em for doing things up secret like, and vot he don’t know ain’t vorth knowing.”

“This is news of some importance,” I whispered to Mr. Brown; “the miners should know it, or they will be cut to pieces.”

“We are to remain neutral, you know,” Mr. Brown said, suggestively, and I felt that if I interfered I could no longer maintain my character as friend to both parties.

I turned to bribe Steel Spring to give the miners a hint of the approaching company, but that worthy had suddenly disappeared in the crowd, and all efforts to find him were fruitless.

For half an hour we remained upon the ground watching the evolutions of the miners, as they went through various military manoeuvres, and then we returned to the store to find that Smith had arrived during our absence, and had brought with him a large stock of goods, and that he and Fred were hard at work unloading them.

I of course joined them without delay, and by sundown the carts were unloaded, and the oxen secured for the night.  We were all glad to see our partner, and innumerable were the questions with which we plied him, both before and after supper, and gladly did he answer them, and then produced for our perusal a pile of newspapers from Yankee land, which were worth more than ten times their weight in gold.