ifested that I should break down under the severe
discipline of the hulks, and that if I did not, other employment would
be found in a few weeks, which would surely end my days. A donation of
twenty-five pounds was acknowledged, and thanks were returned for the
same.

"I ground my teeth with rage, and then added a line in the letter, to
let the villain know that I still lived, and hoped to get square with
him before I died.

"Time was too precious, however, to waste it there. Every moment was
worth an hour to us, for we were liable to be interrupted; and if seen
at large the whole city would have been aroused, and capture inevitable.

"The huge key that unlocked the outer gate was hanging on its accustomed
peg, and to take possession of it, and emerge into the street, was but a
moment's work; and then to give our oppressors all the trouble possible,
we locked the gate, and hurled the key into the river, which ran hard
by.

"The night was pitch dark, and, as I said before, the rain poured down
in torrents, for winter had set in with uncommon severity. The streets
were without light, and the gutters were like small rivers; but by the
latter we were enabled to find our way. You are aware that Melbourne is
partly built on a hill, so by following the course of the water, as it
rushed towards the bay, we gained the outskirts of the city, and struck
across the broad fields, and toiled on through the long night, and when
daylight came, no sign of house or inhabitants was to be seen.

"That day we rested for a few hours, and continued our journey towards
night, hardly knowing where we were wandering to, almost famished with
hunger, and dead with fatigue.

"I have not breath to tell you all that we suffered while getting
towards the bushranging haunts; our days of hunger and wretchedness--our
adventures with the natives, and their attempts to kill us--the
desperate risks which we ran of being captured and taken back to
prison--and last of all, our reaching this hut, which is to be the scene
of my death.

"Here is where I first met Bimbo; and as he is already a prisoner, there
can be no harm in my telling you that be provided for our wants, kept us
in his secret cellar over a week, until we were fully recruited, and
able to grasp a musket, and then introduced us to Black Darnley, as
possessing spirit enough to belong to even his gang.

"By him we were accepted; but after I had served in the ranks a short
time, I raised a