bothered by a new wire fence, but unsuspicious of the presence of humans.
He wore a grey suit, rode, or mostly led, an ashen-grey horse;
the grass was long and grey, so he was seldom spotted
until he was well within the horizon and bearing leisurely down
on a party of sub-contractors, leading his horse.

Now iron-bark was scarce and distant on those ridges, and another timber,
similar in appearance, but much inferior in grain and "standing" quality,
was plentiful and close at hand. Dave and party were "about full of"
the job and place, and wanted to get their cheque and be gone
to another "spec" they had in view. So they came to reckon
they'd get the last girder from a handy tree, and have it squared, in place,
and carefully and conscientiously tarred before the inspector happened along,
if he did. But they didn't. They got it squared, and ready to be lifted
into its place; the kindly darkness of tar was ready to cover a fraud
that took four strong men with crowbars and levers to shift; and now
(such is the regular cussedness of things) as the fraudulent piece of timber
lay its last hour on the ground, looking and smelling,
to their guilty imaginations like anything but iron-bark,
they were aware of the Government inspector drifting down upon them obliquely,
with something of the atmosphere of a casual Bill or Jim
who had dropped out of his easy-going track to see how they were getting on,
and borrow a match. They had more than half hoped that,
as he had visited them pretty frequently during the progress of the work,
and knew how near it was to completion, he wouldn't bother coming any more.
But it's the way with the Government. You might move heaven and earth
in vain endeavour to get the "Guvermunt" to flutter an eyelash over something
of the most momentous importance to yourself and mates and the district --
even to the country; but just when you are leaving authority severely alone,
and have strong reasons for not wanting to worry or interrupt it,