Page 143 - In A New World

"No; he probably won't discover how he has been tricked till morning."

"And even if he does he may suppose that this rock is what we brought with
us."

"Possibly. Still, Harry, I think we'd better keep awake and watch to-night. It
will only be for one night, as to-morrow we can make arrangements to send

the nugget by express to Melbourne."

"I thought we should be carrying it there ourselves."

"No, it would not be safe. To-morrow everybody will know that we have

found a nugget, and if we attempted to carry it ourselves we should not get
ten miles away without being attacked, and perhaps killed."

"Then we can send it by express?" queried Harry.

"Yes, I have inquired into this--not that I thought we would be lucky
enough to need the information. The government escorts charge one per

cent., and besides the Crown exacts a royalty of ten per cent."

"That's pretty steep, isn't it, Obed?"

"I will cheerfully bear my part of it," said Obed. "I remember there was an

old fellow in our place who owned considerable property--at any rate he
was taxed for fifteen thousand dollars. Whenever taxes became due he was
always groanin' and predictin' that he'd end his days in the poorhouse. My

father, who was only taxed for fifteen hundred, said to him one day, 'Mr.
Higgins, if you'll give me half of your property, I'll agree to pay taxes on

the whole, so that you'll have nothing to pay.'"

"Did he accept?" asked Harry, with a smile.

"Not much, but he stopped growlin'. It may have given him a new idea of

the matter."