steady eye were not inviting for personal arbitration of the matter in
hand. He put up his two pairs of shears, put on his coat, and walked
out of the shed. The time was passed when Red Bill or Terrible Dick
(ruffians whom a sparse labour-market rendered necessary evils) would
have flung down his shears upon the floor and told the manager that if
he didn't like that shearing he could shear his------sheep himself and
be hanged to him; or, on refusal of instant payment, would have
proposed to bury his shears in the intestines of his employer by way of
adjusting the balance between Capital and Labour. Many wild tales are
told of woolshed rows. I knew of one squatter stabbed mortally with
that fatal and convenient weapon, a shear-blade.

The man thus summarily dealt with could, like most of his companions,
shear very well if he took pains. Keeping to a moderate number of
sheep, his workmanship could be good. But he must needs try and keep up
with Billy May or Abraham Lawson, who can shear from 100 to 130 sheep
per day, and do them beautifully. So in "racing" he works hastily and
badly, cuts the skin of his luckless sheep nearly as often as the wool,
and leaves wool here and there on them, grievous and exasperating to
behold. So sentence of expulsion goes forth fully against him. Having
arrayed himself for the road he makes one more effort for a settlement
and some money wherewith to pay for board and lodging on the road. Only
to have a mad carouse at the nearest township, however; after which he
will tell a plausible story of his leaving the shed on account of Mr
Gordon's temper, and avail himself of the usual free hospitality of the
bush to reach another shed. He addresses Mr Gordon with an attempt at
conciliation and deference.

"It seems very 'ard, sir, as a man can't get the trifle of money coming
to him, which I've worked 'ard for."