"There's your lead, you thief!" he said. "Dance on that!"
Red Mick staggered back a pace or two, picked up an empty bottle
from the ground, and made a dash at Gordon. The latter let out
a vicious drive with his left that caught Mick under the ear and
sent him down like a bullock. In a second the whole crowd surged
together in one confused melee, everybody hitting at everybody
amid a Babel of shouts and curses. The combat swayed out on to the
race-course, where half a dozen men fell over the ropes and pulled
as many more down with them, and those that were down fought on
the ground, while the others walked on them and fought over their
heads. Carew, who was quite in his element, hit every head he saw,
and knocked his knuckles to pieces on Black Andy Kelly's teeth.
The fight he put up, and the terrific force of his hitting, are
traditions among the mountain men to this day. Charlie Gordon was
simply mad with the lust of fighting, and was locked in a death-grip
with Red Mick; they swayed and struggled on the ground, while the
crowd punched at them indiscriminately. In the middle of all this
business, the two ladies and Alick, the eldest of the children,
had started Gentle Annie for home, straight down the centre of the
course. The big mare, hearing the yelling, and recognising that she
was once more on a race-track, suddenly caught hold of the bit, and
came sweeping up the straight full-stretch, her great legs flying
to and fro like pistons. Alick, who was sitting bodkin between the
ladies, simply remarked, "Let her head go!" as she went thundering
into the crowd, hurling Doyles and Donohoes into the air, trampling
Kellys under foot--and so out the other side, and away at a 2.30
gait for at least half a mile before the terrified girls could pull
her up, and come back to see what damage had been done.
That ended the fight. The course was covered with wounded and
disabled men. Some had been struck by the mare's hoofs; others had
been run over by the wheels; and a great demand for whisky set in,
under cover of which Gordon and Carew retired to the four-in-hand.
No one was seriously hurt, except "Omadhaun" Doyle, who had
been struck on the head by the big mare's hoof. He lay very still,
breathing stertorously, and Jerry the Swell took the trouble
to come over to the four-in-hand, and inform them that he thought
"Omadhaun" had got percussion of the brain, and that things looked
very "omnibus" for him. However, as soon as he could swallow whisky
he was pronounced out of danger, and the Kuryong party was allowed
to depart in peace for home, glad enough to get away. But the two
girls were afraid to drive the big mare, as she was thoroughly roused
after her dash in among the Doyles and Donohoes, and was inclined
to show a lot of temper. A hurried consultation was held, with
the result that Ellen Harriott and Alick were received into the
four-in-hand, while Hugh was entrusted with the task of driving
his employer home in the sulky.