‘Yes, after I’d been assaulted with a goat,’ cried the witness, flushing with a recollection of her wrongs and shaking a formidable fist at the prisoners.  ‘After I’d been assaulted with a goat sooled on by one o’ the bla’guards.’

The lawyer spoke a few soothing words: 

’You deserve the thanks of the community, Mrs. Cox, for the businesslike way in which you suppressed this diabolical gang.  Your method is in pleasing contrast with the ridiculous effeminacy of the previous witnesses.  I have no doubt you would treat an adult bushranger in exactly the same way.’

‘Or a lawyer either,’ said Mrs. Cox, detecting sarcasm.

The case was practically decided when Mrs. Cox stepped down.  The bench desired to have some evidence as to Gable’s character, and leading residents of Waddy described his infirmity, and spoke of him as unentirely harmless and innocent old man.  The case was dismissed; but the chairman, in acquitting the prisoners, took occasion to remind their parents that if the excellent example set by Mrs. Cox were followed by them all, it would probably tend to the moral advantage of the boys and the benefit of society at large.

The return to Waddy was something in the nature of a triumphal march in which the late prisoners figured as heroes, but they lost importance immediately after reaching the township.  A new topic of great interest had sprung up during the absence of the crowd; news had arrived of Harry Hardy’s recovery, and it was known that his injuries were not the result of a fall of reef, but were inflicted by gold-stealers who had got into the mine in some mysterious way and had escaped again just as mysteriously.  Already Waddy had decided upon the identity of the culprits who, it was confidently asserted, would be found amongst the small community of Chinamen whose huts were situated on the bank of the creek at a distance of about two miles from the township, and who made a precarious living by fossicking and growing vegetables.  Waddy always settled matters of this kind out of hand, and the presence of those Chinamen saved it much mental trouble in accounting for thefts small or great.

Late that night Joe Rogers and the searcher sat together in a hidden place in the corner paddock discussing the turn events had taken.  The last three days had told upon Shine, who was pallid, hollow-cheeked, and nervous; he fumbled always with his bent bony fingers bunched behind him, and when in the presence of others twisted and turned his curious feet continuously with a dull anxiety that irritated the men beyond bearing.  Now, crouched amongst the scrub by the side of his mate, he whined about their danger.

’We should ‘a’ cleared.  We oughter clear now.  We’ll be nabbed if we stay.’

‘We’ll be nabbed if we bolt,’ replied Rogers.  ’The man as cleared now would be spotted as the guilty party, an’ half the p’lice in the country ‘d be up an’ after him.  No, here we are, an’ here we stick fer better or worse.’