‘You are mistaken, sir. This is my claim.’

‘Yer not Hannigan,’ one of the other men said.

‘So, you are acquainted with Mr Hannigan?’

‘We’re his partners. He went into Melbourne to see to registering the claim.’

Caleb’s hand tightened on the butt of his pistol. ‘Is that so? I’m sorry to disappoint you, gentlemen, but Mr Hannigan has signed over the claim to me.’

The three men looked at each other. ‘What d’ya mean?’ the man with the rifle said.

Caleb held out the claim form that now clearly showed his name.

The third man spat on the ground. ‘That could say anything.’

‘They can’t read,’ Penrose pointed out in a low voice.

‘Gentlemen, it seems we are at an impasse.’ Caleb raised his Colt. ‘Put down your weapon and let’s talk.’

The man with the rifle jerked the muzzle upward, in the direction of the horses Caleb and Penrose had left tethered on the ridge. ‘Nothing to talk about. We’ll just wait for Hannigan and you can ride back to town and cool yer heels.’

In another place and another time, Caleb could have taken out the man with the rifle without a second thought but he no longer lived in that world. Here, in this outpost of the British Empire, the law would probably take a poor view of such an action. A tactical withdrawal was called for.

He held up his hands. ‘Very well, gentlemen. Let my friend and myself depart in peace and we will see what needs to be done to rectify this misunderstanding.’

‘There’s no misunderstanding.’ The leader’s beard jutted as he waved his weapon in Caleb’s direction.

‘May I know your name?’ Caleb asked.

‘O’Riley, and these are my brothers.’

‘I think, Mr O’Riley, you have been cheated by your friend Hannigan. Before our paths crossed, he registered the claim in his name alone. Last I heard he had taken off for the western goldfields.’

‘Watcha mean?’ The eldest O’Riley frowned. ‘We gave him all our savings to register the mine and buy some decent equipment.’

Caleb was tempted to laugh but it didn’t look like any of the O’Riley brothers had a sense of humour.

‘I think that Mr Hannigan has sold you out and pocketed your money.’

‘The bastard!’ The least hairy of the O’Riley brothers followed his outburst with a steady stream of tobacco, spitting it into the embers of the fire.

‘My thoughts exactly because, if my friend here is right—’ Caleb gestured to the still prone Penrose, ‘there’s no gold to be found where you’re digging.’

‘Hannigan said it was a sure thing,’ O’Riley senior insisted. ‘Said this was the Pretty Sally reef.’

‘Have you found any gold in the quartz you’ve dug out?’ Penrose ventured.

‘No, but—’