Having determined on this plan of operations, we resumed our conversation on indifferent matters, and thus spent the time till it was pretty far on in the night, when Lindsay suggested that it was full time the men were distributed in the positions we intended them to occupy.  Two were accordingly placed at each window of both the back and front of the house, the sergeant and I occupying one,—­he with one of our muskets, and I with a rifle.  It was a bright moonlight night; so that, as the vicinity of the house was completely cleared around, to the distance of at least 200 yards on every side, no one could approach it without being seen; although they could remain long enough invisible, and in safety, in the dense wood beyond, and by which the house was surrounded on all sides but one.

The sergeant and I had thus sat for, I think, about an hour and a half, looking intently towards the dark forest beyond the cleared ground, when we thought we saw several small, dark objects flitting about the skirts of the wood; but whether they were kangaroos or men, we could not tell.

Keeping our eyes fixed steadily on them, however, we by-and-by saw them unite, and could distinctly make out that they were approaching the house in a body.  Soon they came sufficiently near to enable us to discern that it was a party of men, to the number of about eight or ten.  There might be more, but certainly no fewer.  We could now also see that they were armed—­at least a part of them—­with muskets.

Satisfied that they were the much dreaded bushrangers, of whose vicinity we had been apprised, the sergeant hastily left the window at which he and I had been seated, and, stealing with soft and cautious steps through the house, visited each of his posts to see that the men were on the alert.  To each he whispered instructions to put their pieces on cock, to go down on their knees at the window, and to rest the muzzles of their muskets on the sill, but not project them out more than two or three inches.  He concluded by telling them not to fire a shot until they heard the report of his musket; that then they were to pepper away as hard as they could pelt, taking, however, a sure and steady aim at every shot.

In the meantime the bushmen, whose advance had been, and still was, very slow and cautious, as if they dreaded an ambuscade, had approached to within seventy yards of the house.  Thinking them yet too distant to make sure of them, we allowed them to come nearer.  They did so; but they had now assumed a stealthy step, walking lightly, as if they feared that their footfalls should be heard.  They were led on by one of their number; at least there was one man considerably in advance of his fellows.  He was armed with a sword, as we saw it flashing in the moonlight.