undreds which nobody will ever come upon.

"There was a great deal of lawlessness in and around Melbourne in those
days. One afternoon a band of robbers took possession of the road
between Melbourne and Sandridge, and 'stuck up' everybody who attempted
to pass. People were tied to trees and robbed, and for an hour or two
the bandits were in full possession of the road. They had one of their
number on watch who gave the signal when the police approached, and
thus they were enabled to get away in good time, leaving their victims
fastened to the trees.

"Once a ship was anchored in the harbor, ready to sail for England, with
several thousand ounces of gold on board. She was to leave the next
forenoon, and was to receive her crew and passengers early in the
morning. There were only some ten or twelve persons on board. Along
about midnight a boat came to the side of the ship, and, when hailed by
the lookout, the answer was given that two passengers were coming on
board. Two men came up the side of the ship dressed like ordinary
passengers, and without any suspicious appearance about them.

"While they were in conversation with the lookout and asking about the
location of their rooms, they suddenly seized and bound him, and put a
gag in his mouth to prevent his making an outcry. Then several other men
came up the side of the ship very quickly, and one by one all on board
were bound and gagged so quietly and speedily that they could not give
the least alarm. The robbers then opened the treasure-room, took
possession of the gold, lowered it into their boat and rowed away. They
were not on the ship more than half an hour, and as no one came to
ascertain the state of affairs and give the alarm until the next
morning, the robbers succeeded in getting away with all their plunder.
It was a very bold performance, but from that time such a careful watch
was kept on board of the ships that it could not be repeated.

"A fair proportion of the successful miners kept their money and went
home with it, but there was a large number who seemed to believe that
the best use to be made of gold was to get rid of it as quickly as
possible, and they found plenty of people ready and willing to help them
in this work; and it was not infrequently the case that miners were
killed for the sake of their gold, and their bodies disposed of in the
most convenient way. Most of the men who thus disappeared had no
relatives or intimate friends in the count