Settling Day

'It is five years since Grey Bird won the Sydney Cup, and I feel all the excitement over again as I look at him,' said Dr Tom, as he admired the handsome grey who was now doing...

Abe Dalton had laid his plans well. Together with three of his men he had been on the watch for some hours. By a mere chance the absence of the black gin from the camp had been...

She understood what the life of this child meant to the man who had been kind to her when all others had deserted her. Her heart bled for him in his trouble, and she would willi...

'I suppose living in England has done it,' thought Jim; 'but I had no idea it would make such an alteration in a man. He looks so much older, and speaks differently. There's som...

'You think I have been drinking. Well, I own up I did have a drop too much--first with Machinson, then after he left. It soon got hold of me. I am not as strong as I was.'

Rodney Shaw was the wealthiest squatter round Swamp Creek. He inherited the property from his father, and had taken no share in amassing the very large sum of money he found him...

Neptune got well away, although, being on the outside, he did not get such a lead as The Captain, Jackson having pushed his mount through just as the flag was lowered, a clever...

For days and weeks there had been no rain at Wanabeen or in the Swamp Creek district. Jim Dennis was not a rich man, far from it, and he had to depend upon his small station for...

'There has been a desperate scene here,' said Doonan, 'and Sal is gone. They may have taken her away. We must send a messenger at once for your father, my lad.'

He staggered as he got out of the saddle, and in a mechanical way unbuckled the straps. Then he walked into the weighing-room with his father and Dr Tom, one on each side.

At first Jim could hardly credit Sal's statement, but several things that had happened of late caused him to place credence in her words. Moreover, he knew she was truthful and...

On board ship, when he acted as medical adviser to the skipper, his officers, the crew, and the passengers--the last-named lot he considered of little account--he had been in th...

The affair at Barker's Creek caused a great sensation, and the Sydney and Melbourne papers had long accounts of it, chiefly supplied by Adye Dauntsey and Dr Tom Sheridan. The la...

The party, small as it was, had this advantage, they were all friends and understood each other, and had fought side by side in the time of danger. Great care was taken of Grey...

Grey Bird being a thorough stayer, Willie determined to make the most of his light weight, but the horse was not a quick beginner, and when fairly in his stride half the field w...

'It's asking too much of the lad,' said Jim Dennis, in reply to the doctor's suggestion to 'Put Willie up.' 'He's only twelve, and you can't expect him to have the head of a man.'

Barker's Creek was several miles from Swamp Creek, and next morning Dr Tom's black boy, aged about forty, and looking ten years older, hitched the ill-groomed horses to the wors...

They made a move when the sun went down and the atmosphere became cooler. There was sufficient light for them to see their whereabouts, but the darkness increased in a short time.

He was riding hard and fast, the thud of his horse's hoofs resounded from the sun-baked ground. He rode for a life, the life of his child, a little chap six years old. As he urg...

'I think they will come in handy at close quarters,' said Jim with a smile. 'We shall have no occasion to fire them out. We can capture the lot alive.' Then, looking at Charlie,...

How he hated the man, this thief who had robbed him and dishonoured his house. It was with a glow of exultation he thought the hour was at hand when he could call him to account...

Swamp Creek race-course was not an attractive place, nor was it an ideal ground for the purpose. The track was somewhat uneven, and only a mile round, so that for the cup race t...

Never had there been such excitement over the Swamp Creek Cup. The stake was good, as country stakes go, and in addition to this a splendid entry had been obtained, and Dr Tom p...

Willie Dennis was none the worse for the blow he had received, but his father was desperately angry, and no steps appeared to have been taken by the police to ascertain who comm...

A few years quickly pass by, and very little change is noticeable in such places as Swamp Creek and on stations like Wanabeen and Cudgegong. The life there was monotonous enough...

The lad passed a peaceful night, but it was an anxious time for Jim Dennis and Dr Tom when he awoke next morning. They had money at stake, but it counted for little. Willie's he...

Constable Doonan was soon afterwards promoted and raised to the rank of sergeant, and had charge of the district formerly under control of the unfortunate Machinson. All who too...

'You'd have laughed, Jim, to see the funk Dalton was in,' he said. 'I never saw such a blooming coward in my life. He's not fit to sew a button on his own shirt. He cowed down b...

The mail coach stopped at Potter's, and it was reported to the police that sometimes the mails stopped there also. Potter's was a curious old place, and lay, or, to be more corr...

Jim Dennis's homestead was anything but an enticing place. He had built the bulk of it himself, and said it was good enough. The boards were fairly weather-beaten and the galvan...