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 understand each other. I did not come to demand your surrender, but to offer you the alternative between yielding and hanging. You have not yet absolutely refused; when you have, I can answer your last question."

"We do refuse then on any terms."

"I am very sorry for it: and now I have no difficulty in giving you the information you ask. You will be dead or prisoners before sunset. You are surrounded on all sides, and fresh men are arriving every hour. Am I to understand that you reject my offer?"

"You are; we know the worst that can happen to us; but what is to prevent our keeping you a prisoner?"

"Nothing" Dodge replied, "but this, that I put myself into your power hoping to save your lives, though at the hazard of my own."

It has been well said that even the greatest rascals have some good points in their nature which outlive the commission of crimes of the deepest die. The man who acted as leader opened the door without saying another word and motioned Dodge to depart, who returned to his friends and recounted to them the failure of his mission, when the firing recommenced.

During his absence, at Slinger's suggestion, a rough kind of shield had been constructed of split slabs capable of being borne before an advancing party. It was not long allowed to remain useless, and eventually, as will be seen, proved one of the principal agents in unhousing the bushrangers. A quantity of fibrous bark was collected from the adjacent trees and bound loosely together at the end of a stout pole, fire was set to it, and under cover of the shield of slabs, which was borne by several stout fellows, an advance was made towards the enemy's quarters amidst a general cheer; but it was of