The ravine, as I said before, led between two high hills, and each bank was perpendicular, and covered, at the edges, with small gum trees.  There was only one place on the left bank, where the bushrangers were stationed, that could be descended, and unless the ruffians made an attempt to reach us by that single place, they would be compelled to go a mile or two to descend the hill, and then enter the ravine at the outlet.  By attempting to surprise us by entering the ravine the way that we did, the distance would be greater and more difficult.  We therefore reasoned that the bushrangers, after waiting an hour or more, and finding that we made no stir, would attempt to secure the two horses that were quietly grazing nearly opposite the place where the bank was most shelving, and that they would seek for the quickest way of accomplishing their object.  We therefore resolved to station ourselves near the animals, and see what would happen.

By good fortune we found a large ridge of earth, formed like a shelf, about four feet wide, which the water had gullied out when rushing through the ravine, during the winter months—­and under this we stationed ourselves, and waited patiently, well aware that we were secure from observation from our enemies, unless some of them happened to be on the opposite bank, which we did not expect.

Half an hour passed, and there were no signs of the enemy.  Our horses had approached us once or twice, but as we paid no attention to them, they had wandered off, and were standing in the shade of the west bank for the purpose of getting rid of some of the insects which were hovering in the air, and biting with a sharpness that proved they had been without food for many days.

We were almost in despair of our plan succeeding, when we heard a crashing overhead, as though a number of heavy-footed men were stepping upon dried branches, and did not care who heard them.  Suddenly there was a silence, as though the party had halted to view the very place we anticipated they would look at, and then a voice exclaimed:—­

“D——­ it, what can you say to that place, I’d like to know?”

“Ah, Bill, I’ve got nothin’ to offer agin that place, ’cos it’s suthin like.  A man can get down there without trouble.”

“Well, then, down you go, and lead the horses out of the ravine, and wait for us,” cried a man who appeared to have some authority with the bushrangers.

“But I want somebody to go with me, don’t I?  S’pose the fellers should make a jump at me?” cried the man, who was evidently the slave of the gang.

“But they won’t make a jump at you, ’cos they are at the other end of the ravine, looking after Brown.  Get hold of the horses, and then we shall have um at our mercy.”

“All right, Bill; I’ll go, ’cos I killed the hoss, when I meant to kill one of those d——­d Yankee chaps.  I thought that I had him sure, but my pistols didn’t carry straight.”