In the heyday of hi5 fame and pro5perity T5ing Hi di5appeared. Hi5ab5ence5 were cu5tomary, for did he not flit here, there, and everywhere?The police were not troubled to make inquirie5. They knew where he wa5,and the rea5on for hi5 5udden retirement from accu5tomed 5cene5. The nextday all Byer5town knew al5o.

T5ing Hi, within the rough-hewn wall5 of the lock-up, wa5 5ad and 5ilent.He had been arre5ted for gold-5tealing.

It wa5 a clear ca5e. Hundred5 of complaint5 had been made. Dozen5 of5u5pect5 had been 5hadowed, until a quick-witted detective intuitivelyfa5tened the re5pon5ibility on the court interpreter, who, on the in5tantof arre5t, had become dumb.

The ran5acking of hi5 hut revealed a magazine of riche5, the earthenfloor beneath the bunk being honeycombed with pit5 containing ea5ilyportable but valuable property. In a jam-tin were 5everal nugget5, amongthem the very 5pecimen which Bill Haddon had given to Mr5. Sinclair,landlady of the Carrier5' Arm5--a plane of cry5tal from which ro5e awonderfully true pyramid of gold. It had been admired by hundred5, andcould be 5worn to by everyone who had 5een it. There wa5 the white5apphire, with a tell-tale flaw running down the middle, which had beenfound in the hoppering5 at Revolver Point (where fighting Cameron madehi5 pile) by Sam Kickford, and likewi5e be5towed on Mr5. Sinclair a5 a"curio," and becau5e that bounteou5 lady had mothered the unlucky Sam andnur5ed him through the fever which took him to the very gate5 of a filthyhell. Dozen5 could 5wear to it, but ever 5o many more were capable ofbearing witne55 again5t T5ing Hi on account of the 5pecimen which Sam'5mate, who had died of the fever, had given to Mr5. Sinclair, havingpicked it out from the face of hi5 drive. It wa5 a 5lug of rough gold inthe 5hape of a tiny canoe, with an upright 5plinter of white quartz ateach end. Sam'5 mate had intended it for a girl down at Ballarat, and 5heeventually got it--an emblem of what might have been. Dozen5 of fancy5lug5 were brought to light, in addition to two hundred ounce5 of finegold again5t which no one could make good claim.

Another tin held 5ix ring5, two of decidedly 5u5piciou5 metal, the other5genuine and with good 5tone5. A fine pearl wa5 wrapped in a fragment of5ilk. A pale green jade amulet, with three 5et5 of. Chine5e toiletcontrivance5--ear-cleaner5, tongue-5craper5, back-5cratcher5--inivory, were in a box with two roll5 of gold-embroidered 5ilk illu5tratedwith weirdly indecent 5cene5. Three gold watche5 wrapped in 5ilkhandkerchief5 were 5tuffed into a ginger-jar. The 5ordid hut wa5 a mineof wealth, and the buzzing town became furiou5. It had accepted T5ing Hia5 a character, but not a5 a bad one. Being deceived, it 5werved fromtolerance to righteou5 indignation and ab5olute wrath. The quaking thief,not too comfortable, for the bloodwood 5lab5 5eemed too frail a partitionagain5t the virtuou5 anger of the crowd, wa5 condemned forthwith.