did not suspect any treachery, as he had seen no weapon in possession of the blackfellow.  He stooped to pick up the firestick; but just as he was touching it, he saw the black man’s feet moving nearer, and becoming suddenly suspicious, he quickly moved his head to one side and stood upright.  At the same instant he received a blow from a tomahawk on his left shoulder.  This blow, intended for his head, was followed by another, which inflicted a second wound; but the stockman succeeded in grasping the wrist of his enemy.  Then began a wrestling match between the two men, the stakes two lives, no umpire, no timekeeper, no backers, and no bets.  The only spectator was the horse, whose bridle was hanging on the ground.  But he seemed to take no interest in the struggle, and continued nibbling the grass until it was over.

The black man, who had now dropped his rug, was as agile and nimble as a beast of prey, and exerted all his skill and strength to free his hand.  But the white man felt that to loose his hold would be to lose his life, and he held on to his grip of the blackfellow’s wrist with desperate resolution.  The tomahawk fell to the ground, but just then neither of the men could spare a hand to pick it up.  At length, by superior strength, the stockman brought his enemy to the ground.  He then grasped the thick, matted hair with one hand, and thus holding the black’s head close to the ground, he reached with the other hand for the tomahawk, and with one fierce blow buried the blade in the savage’s brain.  Even then he did not feel quite sure of his safety.  He had an idea that it was very difficult to kill blackfellows outright, that theywere like American ’possums, and were apt to come to life again after they had been killed, and ought to be dead.  So to finish his work well, he hacked at the neck with the tomahawk until he had severed the head completely from the body; then taking the head by the hair, he threw it as far as he could to the other side of the track.  By this time he began to feel faint from loss of blood, so he mounted his horse and galloped to Joe Kermode’s hut.

When Joe had performed his duties of a good Samaritan to the stranger he mounted his horse, and rode to the field of battle.  He found the headless body of the black man, the head at the other side of the track, the tomahawk, the piece of tobacco, the rug, and the firestick.  Joe and the shepherd buried the body; the white man survived.

THE GOVERNMENT STROKE.

“The Government Stroke” is a term often used in the colonies, and indicates a lazy and inefficient manner of performing any kind of labour.  It originated with the convicts.  When a man is forced to work through fear of the lash, and receives no wages, it is quite natural and reasonable that he should exert himself as little as possible.  If you were to reason with him, and urge him to work harder at, for instance, breaking road metal, in order