ause and astonishment and
joy, Danny reiterated breathlessly until his father was pronounced the
victor; then he took the battered hero fondly by the hand and led him
away to be bathed and plastered and bandaged by a devoted wife and
mother.

The downfall of Devoy's opponent brought other champions from Cow Flat;
there were open fights in Wilson's paddocks by day and assaults and
sallies by night, and the bitterness deepened into hatred. Waddy now
resisted every attempt to carry off the stolen goats, and parties coming
from Cow Flat by night were content with any animals they could lay their
hands on; so for nearly a week the township was beset with alarums and
excursions, and Jo Rogers, as its admitted champion, had more engagements
on his hands than he could reasonably be expected to fulfil in a month.

Dickie and his accomplices were amazed at the developments, and watched
the trouble grow with the greatest concern. The contests on the open
ground beyond the quarries were frequent and free, and then there came a
lull; but from Cow Flat came rumours of a grand coup meditated by the
leaders on that side. Preparations were being made for an attack by a
large body, and the forcible abduction of all the goats, irrespective of
individual rights. The excitement had now reached fever heat, and there
were few men in Waddy who were not ready, even anxious, to strike a blow
for the preservation of the flocks and herds and the credit of the
township.

On the side of approach from Cow Flat Waddy was protected for the greater
part of the distance by the string of quarries; under the command of Big
Peterson, who as an ex-soldier had some military reputation, logs were
dragged from the bush, and the space between the end of the quarries and
the fence of Summers' south paddock was smartly barricaded. The defenders
were armed with light sticks, and it was understood that these were to be
used only if the enemy refused to abide by Nature's weapons.

All the mines in the vicinity of Waddy worked short-handed on the day of
the Great Goat Riot; the men, under the command of Captain Peterson, were
sitting in bands, hidden from view in the quarries, smoking, discussing
the situation, and patiently awaiting the attack. They did not wait in
vain. At about eleven o'clock a scout came in with the intelligence that
a large body was advancing in irregular order through Wilson's paddock,
and a quarter of an hour later the men of Cow Flat swarme