d a duty to the world.
Hastily bringing his rifle to his shoulder, he glanced along its deadly
tube and fired. For a few seconds we could not perceive that the shot
had affected the bushranger, and I was about to try my skill, when the
villain staggered and fell heavily to the earth.

His leg was broken near the knee, and the bone was terribly shattered by
the rifle ball.

CHAPTER XIV.

DISCOVERY OF STOLEN TREASURES IN THE STOCKMAN'S CELLAR.

Lying upon the ground were the bushrangers, bruised, bloody, and dirty,
groaning with disappointment and pain, and one or two of the most
violent ones cursing so loudly that the air smelt sulphurous. Across the
bodies of the fallen wretches were the policemen, with huge beads of
perspiration standing on their brows, and faces red with the sudden and
unusual exertion which they had endured to conquer the desperate
robbers.

The poor fellow whom the leader of the robbers had injured by breaking a
carbine over his head, was lying on the ground, bleeding profusely from
a long gash in his skull. He was assisted into the hut, and left for a
few minutes, until more pressing demands had been attended to; and after
the prisoners were once again ironed, and chained to the cart, some one
asked what had become of Bimbo; as that individual had not been seen
since the commencement of the attack.

"I'll warrant the lazy rascal has gone to sleep somewhere, and not
awakened during the disturbance," Murden said, not suspecting the trick
which the stockman had played him.

"And what has become of my dog?" I asked, surprised to think that he had
also disappeared.

Fearful that he had got tired of my society, and left for his mistress,
I whistled shrilly, and was happy to hear a response, in the shape of a
deep bay, back of the hut. We hurried where we could get a view of him,
and, to my surprise and delight, I saw that he was standing over the
prostrate body of the miserable, treacherous Bimbo, and showing a set of
ivories at every movement of the wretch, which would have delighted a
gentleman versed in dentistry, or an admirer of white teeth.

The Lieutenant, Fred, and myself, proceeded to the spot, and as we
approached, Bimbo attempted to rise, but the vigilant animal, with an
angry growl, grasped him by the neck, and the dirty fellow was content
to lie quiet, although he used his voice well, and broke forth with
lamentations at the hound's rough treatment.

"Is this the kind of