“I think,” said Pateley, “that will cool ’em a bit,” and it did.

Long Mason was a university man, educated for the church, but before his ordination to the priesthood he had many other adventures and misfortunes.  After being nearly drowned by the Highlanders he was placed in charge of Woodside station by his elder brother; he tried to mitigate the miseries of solitude with drink, but he did so too much and was turned adrift.  He then made his way to New Zealand, and fought as a common soldier through the Heki war.  Captain Patterson, of the schooner ‘Eagle’, met him at a New Zealand port.  He was wearing a long, ragged old coat, such as soldiers wore, was out of employment, and in a state of starvation.  The captain took pity on him, brought him back to Port Albert, and he became a shepherd on a station near Bairnsdale.  While he was fighting the Maoris his brother had gone home, and had sent to Sydney money to pay his passage to England.  But he could not be found, and the money was returned to London.  At length Captain Bentley found out where he was, took him to Sydney, gave him an outfit, and paid his passage to England.  Long Mason, honest man that he was, sent back the passage money, was ordained priest, obtained a living near London, and roamed no more.

He had a younger brother named Leonard Mason, who lived with Coady Buckley at Prospect, near the Ninety-Mile, and became a good bushman.  In 1844 Leonard took up a station in North Gippsland adjoining the McLeod’s run, but the Highlanders tried to drive him away by taking his cattle a long distance to a pound which had been established at Stratford.  The McLeods and their men were too many for Leonard.  He went to Melbourne to try if the law or the Government would give him any redress, but he could obtain no satisfaction.  The continued impounding of his cattle meant ruin to him, and when he returned to Gippsland he found his hut burned down and his cattle gone on the way to the pound.  He took a double-barrelled gun and went after them.  He found them at Providence Ponds, which was a stopping place for drovers.  Next morning he rose early, went to the stockyard with his gun, and waited till McDougall, who was manager for the McLeods, came out with his stockmen.  When they approached the yard he said: 

“I shall shoot the first man who touches those rails to take my cattle out.”

McDougall laughed, and ordered one of his men to take down the slip-rails, but the man hesitated; he did not like the looks of Mason.  Then McDougall dismounted from his horse and went to the slip-rails, but as soon as he touched them Mason shot him.

Coady Buckley spared neither trouble nor expense in obtaining the best counsel for Mason’s defence at the trial in Melbourne.  He was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment, but after a time was released on the condition of leaving Victoria, and when last heard of was a drover beyond the Murray.