ar fair against the
broadest portion of one of the bushranger's bodies; "of coorse ye won't
move, hey?"

As he spoke, he pressed harder and harder, but the ruffian stood his
ground remarkably well, although he must have suffered considerably.

"Is that one of the poisoned spear points?" Mr. Brown asked, carelessly.

"Of coorse it is," replied Mike, promptly, seeing the pertinence of the
question.

"You Irish thief, do you mean to say that the spear is pisened?"
demanded the robber, eagerly.

"Of coorse I do; ye die in less than an hour, unless the pisen is worked
out of the wound."

The bushrangers waited to hear no more. They sprang into the creek with
wonderful rapidity, and waded across, followed by Mike, who continually
threatened them with a repetition of his weapon unless they behaved
themselves like dacent lads.

"The spear is not poisoned, I hope," I said to Mr. Wright.

"No, if it had been, I should have objected to its use. The fellows are
born to be hanged, so there's no danger of their dying any other way."

As soon as the bushrangers were on the other side, we carried the women
across, and then picked our way to the house, tired and sleepy, and
extremely desirous of a taste of the punch which we had left behind. Our
prisoners no longer objected to obeying Mike's injunctions, and he was
quite proud of his authority over them.

Kala, swift of loot, had hastened on in advance of us, and announced our
arrival to the inmates of the house, and as we drew near, the laborers
flocked towards us with cheers of triumph at our success, and words of
scorn for the prisoners.

So much did the men sympathize with the women, that they insisted upon
carrying them to the house; and although Nancy kicked and scratched when
she found a pair of strong arms around her, she was obliged to succumb,
and was ultimately landed in the dining room, half angry, and yet half
pleased, at her conveyance.

The noise awakened the parrot, and he added his voice to the general
uproar.

"More bushrangers! more bushrangers!" the bird shouted; "I told you so;
I see 'em! rascals! rascal! steal sheep, ho, ho!"

"Keep quiet, Poll," said Mr. Wright.

"I won't!" promptly responded Poll; and he was as good as his word, for
as long as we talked he would, although sometimes his speeches were not
quite apropos while the ladies were present.

"I don't know how you can change your clothes, ladies," Mr. Wright said,
seeing that, they stoo