On these considerations Dan promised to turn traitor; and one day he persuaded the gang to visit a spot which they considered unsafe, but which Dan swore no policeman would ever dare to venture in.  The bushrangers were surrounded, surprised, and captured, and executed to a man, with the exception of the betrayer.

After this bloody piece of work, the fellow spent most of his money in dissipation, and when it was nearly all gone, he determined to open a resort for thieves and assassins at Ballarat; and although the police knew the kind of house he maintained, yet they were unable to break him up for want of evidence to convict him and his guests.

Some went even so far as to say that he furnished information to the police for certain considerations, but Mr. Brown always denied the imputation with great eagerness.

“Does Dan know what brings you to Ballarat?” I asked, resuming the conversation with our visitor.

“He’s already bin pumping, but the clapper don’t work.  I told him I was after a few scrags, for the purpose of raising a gang; and taking the bush agin; and he thinks it’s so, and promised to help me.  I ’opes I don’t forfeit your confidence by being compelled to tell a lie.  It goes agin me, you know.”

We readily promised him that all such little failings on his part should be overlooked; and after a second edition of whiskey, we laid our trouble and plans before him, and gave him full directions how to proceed.

He was to frequent all places where crime was committed or planned; to converse with all sorts of characters, honest or otherwise; to avoid the police, and pretend an intense hatred for them; and when he wished to communicate with us, it must only be done in the night time, and dressed in such a disguise that none of his gang would recognize him.

In case of his discovering Follet’s companion in the attempted assassination, he was to let us know, so that the fellow’s arrest could take place immediately; and while we agreed to find money for his expenses, we promised a handsome gratuity in case he was successful.

Steel Spring listened with more patience than I ever gave him credit for, while we were enlightening his mind; and although he asked a dozen different questions, which we considered at the time as frivolous, we answered them to the best of our ability, and gave him what insight we were able to regarding the company that Follet had been in the habit of keeping.

“There, that will do for the present,” Steel Spring said.  “Ef the feller is in Ballarat, I shall hear of ’im afore long.  Give me another drink of viskey, and I’ll be off, ’cos a select company of the elite of Ballarat expects me to honor their supper vid my presence in about an hour’s time, and ven I gives my vord to a gentleman I don’t like to disappint um.  Keep cool, and don’t be afeerd of swinging on this little affair, ’cos there’s no danger.  Ef I thought there was, I should certainly speak to my friend, the governor.”