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from an adjacent station, yvere posted in a clump of dense scrub within a hundred yards of the supper ground, and, armed with drawn swords, on hearing the beginning of the melee, they were to rush out and m a k e as m u c h noise as they could. Aboutfive-and-thirtyof the wished-for strangers attended, and to Johnston's great satisfaction, "Ptolemy," "Booby" and " Bullet-Eye" were amongst them. They all eagerlysquatted round the platters overflowing with the thin, syveet paste, and each felloyv, with his pair of scooped black paws, lost no time in setting to work. T h e three principals happened to be nearly next to each other under a tree, and seemed quite proud of the attentions of the bushmen w h o stood like flunkies behind, but were rather considerably astonished when " Three" was ejaculated, and they found themselves not only roped, but half choked into the bargain. T h e troopers did their work cleverly, and immediately all the blackfelloyvs yvere on their feet, and a loud yelling and shaking of weapons followed. T h e three savages, though unable to join in the chorus of hoyvling, emitted deep convulsive grunts, and struggled like wild beasts; but the odds were desperately against them. A h u m a n being, though endowed with the strength of a Hercules, is heavily handicapped when a rope is twisted about his neck and the running knot in the hands of a vigorous antagonist. T h e sworded shepherds n o w appeared on the scene brandishing their flashing weapons and shouting with lungs of Boanergian strength. W h e n the menacing m o b of blackfellows beheld this unexpected reinforcement, they believed that others yvere following, and fleeing like a herd of scared kangaroos across the river, buried themselves in their native fastnesses. T h e prisoners were then hauled away (black in the face it would be superfluous to add), literally throttled, to the hut, and there tied up in supposed security. This happened on the 2nd November. About an hour after the tying-up, a blackfellow arrived at the hut, despatched from the runaway tribe as an emissary to the prisoners, charged to communicate to them the intelligence that it yvas intended to rescue them at daybreak. This fellow, however, probably in expectation of more "bubble-bubble," turned traitor to his trust, sought out Johnston, and conveyed an ambiguous warning in the phrase "to borac (not to) sleep that night." T h e hint was not thrown away on the experienced officer, yvho, thus forewarned, determined to be forearmed, and measures were taken to put the place in as effective a state of defence as possible. T h e party had about 120 rounds of ammunition, and yvere well supplied yvith rifles and pistols. These were loaded, the door secured, and some weak points in the frail bark fortress strengthened. B y this time a relative of the deceased, yvith three or four other white men, arrived, and threw in their lot with the police. T h e defending force thus consisted of eight individuals, and they spent an anxious time of it until about 3 a.m., when the painful suspense was broken by a volley of yelling, and instantaneously the hut was rushed as if by a horde of screaming devils. It yvas assaulted front and rear, in fact all round, byfiftyor sixty aboriginals, some of w h o m climbed up on the roof, and tried to tear off the bark covering. Johnston turned his attention to a chief of huge dimensions, and whilst in the act of reconnoitering, a spear perforated his jacket and within an inch of killing him. A Mr. Kirby fired in the direction whence the spear came, and a big blackfelloyv was afterwards found.dead at the place. Another assailant from aloft had forced his way half d o w n through the roof, when a bullet from Mr. G. S. Beveridge (brother to the murdered m a n ) brought him toppling dead. T h e besieged kept upfiringwherever they thought a ball was likely to tell, and the unlooked-for warm reception so frightened the besieging force, that their zeal slackened by degrees, and as the morning got well advanced they beat a retreat over the river, killing one of the tethered horses. In addition to the immediate assailants, some 200 blacks were planted in the scrub, ready to cut off the yvhite men, yvho, they expected, would abandon the place when they found it attacked. So m u c h was gleaned afterwards from a friendly native. T h e difficulty n o w was h o w to transmit the prisoners safely to Melbourne, through a country of hostile aborigines, in a secluded part ofthe bush, and 250 miles ayvay. A mounted express was at once sent on a 75 mile trip for assistance, and before the close of the next day Johnston was joined by nine mounted volunteers. N o time yvas lost ere making a start, and the party sustained no further molestation from the blacks. W h e n the more dangerous part of the interior had been traversed, the amateur quota of the escort returned home, leaving the three troopers and three captives to go their way. Each trooper took charge of a prisoner, until about twenty miles from Melbourne, when Johnston and Dollard, taking their prisoners with them, set out in search of a drinkable waterhole, leaving Farrell and "Ptolemy "to wait their return at an appointed place. W h e n "Ptolemy" found himself with only a single guard, he threw himself on the ground, pretended to be sick, and gave some pantomimic indications that he was going to