“Let go, George,” cried Policeman Robinson, in some anxiety, “you are killing the man.”

“Oh, I don’t want to kill him neither,” said George.

And he slowly withdrew his grasp, and left off hammering with the rascal’s head, but looked at him as if he would have preferred to have gone on a little longer.  They captured the three others.

“Now secure them,” cried Ede.  “Out with your wipes.”

“There is no need of wipes,” said Robinson.

He then, with a slight blush, and rather avoiding George’s eye, put his hand in his pockets and produced four beautiful sets of handcuffs, bran new, polished to the fine.  With a magical turn of the hand he handcuffed the three men, still avoiding George’s eye.  Unnecessary.  George’s sense of humor was very faint, and so was his sweetheart’s—­a sad defect.

Perhaps I may as well explain here how Robinson came so opportunely to the rescue.  The fact is, that a week ago he had ordered a lot of constables’ staves and four sets of handcuffs.  The staves were nicely painted, lettered “Captain Robinson’s Police, A, B, C,” etc.  They had just come home, and Robinson was showing them to Ede and his gang, when a hullabaloo was heard, and Levi was seen full half a mile off being hunted.  Such an opportunity of trying the new staves was not to be neglected.  Ede and his men jumped out of their claim and ran with Robinson to the rescue.  But they would have been too late if George, who had just come into the camp at that very part, had not made his noble and desperate assault and retreat, which baffled the assailants for two precious minutes.

Robinson.  “What shall we do with them now we have got them?”

George.  “Give them a kick apiece on their behinds, and let them go—­the rubbish.”

Robinson.  “Not if I know it.”

Ede.  “I say blackguard ’em.”

Robinson.  “No, that would be letting ourselves down to their level. 
No, we will expose them as we did my old pal here before.”

Ede.  “Why that is what I mean.  Ticket them—­put a black card on them with their offense wrote out large.”

No sooner said than done.  All four were tied to posts in the sun, and black-carded, or, as some spell it, placarded, thus: 

COWARD. 
Attacked and abused an old man.
>N.  B.—­Not hanged this time because they
got a licking then and there.

“Let us go and see after Mr. Levi, George.”

“Well, Tom, I had rather not.”

“Why not? he ought to be very much obliged to you.”

“That is it, Tom.  The old man is of rather a grateful turn of mind—­and it is ten to one if he doesn’t go and begin praising me to my face—­and then that makes me—­I don’t know which way to look.  Wait till he has cooled upon it a bit.”

“You are a rum one.  Well, George, I have got one proposal you won’t say no to.  First, I must tell you there is really a river of quartz in the country.”