The women had never expected anything serious to happen, and now they were dreadfully afraid.  A valiant few took arms and joined in the fray by the sides of their husbands; but the rest, finding after a few minutes that the fight raged furiously, gave way to bitter tears, and wailed protests from a safe distance, while the children followed their example with all the vigour of young lungs.

In time Peterson and Devoy and Rogers found voice and yelled encouragement to their men, and sticks and fists worked grievous mischief.  The Cow Flat men were at an enormous disadvantage in having to scale the logs to make headway; whenever a hero did succeed in gaining the top, Big Peterson, who moved swiftly and tirelessly up and down the line, was there to cope with him, and he was hurled down, bruised and broken.  The besiegers struggled valiantly, but it dawned on them in the course of ten minutes that they were waging a vain and foolish fight.  A rally and a rescue of Moran, who was on the point of being captured by the enemy, gave them an excuse to draw off, dragging their defeated leader beyond harm’s reach.  A few moments later, in the midst of excited cheering and jeering, a number of the men became aware of a small, bare-headed, red-haired, white-faced boy standing on the logs between the foes, where he had stood whilst the fight was still waging, whirling his hat, and crying something at the top of his voice: 

’The troopers!  The troopers!  The troopers!

It was Dick Haddon, very frightened apparently, and ablaze with excitement.

‘Don’t fight, don’t fight!’ he cried. ‘’Twas me took the goats, an’ the troopers’re comin’!  Look, the troopers!

Sure enough, far off across the level country leading down to Yarraman, a small body of mounted police could be seen riding at a canter towards Waddy, their swords and cap-peaks glittering in the sun.  The men stared in the direction pointed by Dick in silence, wondering what this development might mean.  Devoy was the first to move.  Gripping Dick, he lifted him from the logs.

‘Run, run, ye bla’gard!’ he said.  ‘Fetch yer school football.’

Then as Dick hastened away Devoy took a commanding position on the barricade.

‘Hear me, all of yez,’ he cried.  ’Down wid yer sticks, every divil of yez!  You Cow Flat min, too, down wid ’em!  Look it here—­the troopers is comin’.  Shine have infor-rmed on us in Yarraman.  Moind, now, this is jist a bit of divarsion we’ve been havin’.’

The Waddy men had dropped their weapons, so also had most of their foes, and all gathered closer about Devoy.

‘T’row away thim shticks,’ he yelled.  ‘D’ye want tin years fer riot, an’ murther, an’ dish turbin’ the peace?  Look peaceable, an’ frindly, an’ lovin’, if it’s in yez so to do.  Moran, ye sulky haythen, wud ye be hangin’ the lot av us?  Shmile ’r I’ll black the other oye of ye!  Shmile, ye hi-potomus!

At this instant the line of troopers rode in between the parties, with a clattering of scabbard and chain.  The sergeant drew his foaming bay up sharp and confronted Devoy.