Year: 1875

A small act often leads to the most I'M
portant results, and the quarrel which Ce-
ell had witnessed and interfered in between
the police spy and Edwin Percy, was
the means, indirectly, Of involving him in
new and difficult combinations. The Shoot
ing Star had brought over papers contain
tanning a full account Of all the clrcum-
stances attending failure OF the Australian
Gold Mining Company, and the descrip-
ton of the fugitive president and the re-
ward offered for his apprehension were all
referred to.


Now it so happened, that Birney, the
police spy, hot and furious over the trdodS
he had had with Cecil Esmond, did not
forget the face, and although he skunk
from the crowd he kept the trio in view
and saw them all enter the hotel.


81 will mark that man" he muttered.
" never had a man cross my path yet but
that made him pay for it, and | won't
forget this man. That Percy beat me out
Of good opportunity to secure few dol
lars from a drunken sailor, and l won't
forget it until / am even with him too.
The man who knocked me down and his
friend with him must be strangers here.
They probably Just came in on the Shoot
ing Star; at any rate Ill inquire and see
who he is /; he looks like a nab, and maybe
there is a chance to make something out of
it."


Fortune seemed to favor all the spy's
designs, and he met drunken sailor, one
of the crew of the Star, at a public house,
and after plying him with whisky, was en-
abled to obtain all the information he de-
sired


"You had a couple of passengers on the
Star this voyage n insinusted Birney.


Yes. Raymond and Verney," and
then the voluble sailor detailed the strange
advent OF both the men.


The spy listened speculatively ques-
toned his companion very closely, and
then leaving him repaired to a newsstand
on the principal street where the latest
London papers we're kept on sale, as soon
as they arrived.


In few moments the police spy was re-
reading the account Of the failure Of the
Australian Gold Mining Company, an ac-
count he had casually looked over that
day. He had suspicion, then clue,
then certainty, and he left the place with
a fixed conviction in his mind, that con-
| viction being that Raymond, the passen-
ger on the Shooting Star, was the man who
had knocked him down, and that he was
no other than Cecil Esmond in disguise,
the man for whom a reward of one thOus-
and pounds was offered.


To a man who had always filled subor-
dinate position and had been compelled to
be satisfied with the crumbs which had
fallen from the loaves of his superiors, the
reward was dazzling bonanza to this uh-
derling of the Australian police force.
| Money was his idol, and the chance of Sc
curing the thousand pounds was too bril-
liant 3 chance to be trihed with. He did
not act in haste, for he knew that his prey
was ready for him, when he was prepared
| to swo6 upon it. He was, however, in
ouandary, and his mind was all indecision
upon the subject of his thoughts.
He knew how it had been in the past
a spy and an informer, he had been COM
PEELED to take up with second-r rate pay.
! While his superiors did nothing and took
| all the profits, he did al the work and had
but very small portion of the pay for his
compensation. He reasoned by this pre-
cedent now. No one would suspect Cecil
EsmonG of being in Sydney, and as he
was the sole possessor of that secret, ne
hesitated about imparting the information
to his superiors at headquarters, to have
them make the arrest, receive all the
honor and give to him q triae Of the re-
ward for his trouble. No, he would have
the entire reward now-his should be the
honor, and he conceived q wild plan for
securing his prisoner, and at the same
time severing his connection as menial
with the Sydney police forever. He was
tired Of his labor, and the thousand
pounds, seemed fortune to his avaricious
mind.


So he resolved upon q course Of action
| which he felt assured would he prolific OF
success. He knew that the Shooting Star
| would ret sail upon it's return voyage In q
| few days, and he also was aware Of the
4 fact that he possessed an authority ~ q
government officer, which was sufficient to
govern his prisoner and furnish him all
the authority necessary to arrest Esmond.
He % reasoned that he finally persApded
I himself of the wisdom of his plan, and he
at once ret to work at carrying out his
project.


He resolved to ascertain the exact date
Of the SAILING Of the Star, to have his
rl.n. m arranged that he would have no