Dave Regan, Jim Bently, and Andy Page were sinking a shaft at Stony Creek in search of a rich gold quartz reef which was supposed to exist in the vicinity.
The opening line of the story introduces most the central characters within the setting and establishes the framework upon which the plot will turn, all within the very economic space of thirty words.
Dave got an idea.
Another example of the short story's writing economy. These four simple words are where the entire story takes the turn that becomes the focus of the narrative.
Dave’s schemes were elaborate, and he often worked his inventions out to nothing.
The decision to isolate the turning point of the story now takes on additional meaning. Dave is prone to getting ideas, often elaborate in construction but which just as often do not pan out quite as intended.
They had a big black young retriever dog—or rather an overgrown pup, a big, foolish, four-footed mate, who was always slobbering round them and lashing their legs with his heavy tail that swung round like a stock-whip.
And now the fourth major character of the tale is introduced. Simply and without any undue aggrandizement of importance. The dog is introduced almost as an afterthought and were it not for the title, one might well assume the retriever was just ever so much more background description to lend the story its distinctly Australian character.
…when the mates should rise and begin to sniff suspiciously in the sickly smothering atmosphere of the summer sunrise.
The selected fragment of this quote from the story is strong evidence the author is not limited to writing short stories. The alliteration here acts as an affirmation—just in case it should still be needed—that what is to follow is going to be an exercise in humorous prose.
Run, Andy! Run! Run!!! Look behind you, you fool!
The repetition of run provides kinetic energy and increases tension. The rejoinder of “you fool” to describe Andy allows that tension to be undercut just enough to maintain the comedic tone.
Don’t foller us! Don’t foller us, you coloured fool!
This is the first indication that Andy is not white. The description of “coloured” to describe him is dated and outmoded now, of course, but clearly not intended to be a racist epithet nonetheless. Since the story does take place in Australia, it is quite natural to assume that Andy is probably an indigenous Aborigine, though nothing tacitly commits to that assumption.
They could never explain, any more than the dog, why they followed each other, but so they ran, Dave keeping in Jim’s track in all its turnings, Andy after Dave, and the dog circling round Andy—the live fuse swishing in all directions and hissing and spluttering and stinking. Jim yelling to Dave not to follow him, Dave shouting to Andy to go in another direction— to "spread out," and Andy roaring at the dog to go home.
One of the longest sentences in the entire story, filled with punctuation that is clearly intended to mirror the confusion and chaos of the action that it describes.
It was very good blasting powder—a new brand that Dave had recently got up from Sydney; and the cartridge had been excellently well made. Andy was very patient and painstaking in all he did, and nearly as handy as the average sailor with needles, twine, canvas, and rope.
The effect of the humor of this story depends to a large degree upon the manner in which it is told. The narrator is by turns sardonic, bemused, and cynical, but always maintains a level tone of detached observation. The above quote is a prime example of how this tone is maintained even when the descriptive narrative differs in intent. This particular excerpt derives its comic underpinning through understated attention to detail. At other times, the narrator subtly reflects the peculiarities of the cultural environment through judicious use of idiom and patois. As previously noted, the narrator constructs sentences to fit the rhythm of the moment: sometimes long and complex sentences within a long and complex paragraph, while at other times a single thought as a self-contained paragraph. Along with alliteration, the narrator robustly inhabits his tale with personification, simile, metaphor, and even stripped-down technical description of mechanical actions and activities that drive the plot.
The retriever went in under the kitchen, amongst the piles, but, luckily for those inside, there was a vicious yellow mongrel cattle-dog sulking and nursing his nastiness under there—a sneaking, fighting, thieving canine, whom neighbors had tried for years to shoot or poison.
The introduction of the yellow mongrel marks a shift in the pace and direction of the plot. Up to this point, Tommy was seen as a threat. Not because he was vicious, but because he was ignorant of what he was holding between his teeth. Now, this other dog scares Tommy enough to make him drop the cartridge. The quote reveals the mongrel's stubborn behavior and rocky history with the hotel guests. Nonetheless, his curiosity about the cartridge draws him out of his lair - eventually leading him to his downfall. Ironically, it is a cartridge that was not intended to harm him or remotely connected to him that became his folly. All the intentional attempts on his life were utter failures.
