acking party wavered a moment, but again
became steady, and fired with so calm and correct an aim, that, whenever
a digger showed himself, even for a moment, he was shot. Peter Lalor
rose on a sand heap within the stockade to direct his men, but
immediately fell, pierced in the shoulder by a musket ball. After the
firing had lasted for twenty minutes there was a lull; and the
insurgents could hear the order "Charge!" ring out clearly. Then there
was an ominous rushing sound--the soldiers were for a moment seen above
the palisades, and immediately the conflict became hand-to-hand. The
diggers took refuge in the empty claims, where some were bayoneted and
others captured, whilst the victors set fire to the tents, and soon
afterwards retired with 125 prisoners. A number of half-burnt palisades,
which had fallen on Lalor, concealed him from view; and, after the
departure of the soldiers, he crawled forth, and escaped to the ranges,
where a doctor was found, who amputated his arm. The Government
subsequently offered a reward of L500 for his capture; but his friends
proved true, and preserved him till the trouble was all past.

The number of those who had been wounded was never exactly known, but it
was found that twenty-six of the insurgents had died during the fight,
or shortly afterwards; and in the evening the soldiers returned and
buried such of the dead bodies as were still lying within the stockade.
On the following day, four soldiers who had been killed in the
engagement were buried with military honours. Many of the wounded died
during the course of the following month, and in particular the colony
had to lament the loss of Captain Wise, of the Fortieth Regiment, who
had received his death wound in the conflict.

#11. Trial of the Rioters.#--When the news of the struggle and its issue
was brought to Melbourne, the sympathies of the people were powerfully
roused in favour of the diggers. A meeting, attended by about five
thousand persons, was held near Prince's Bridge, and a motion, proposed
by Mr. David Blair, in favour of the diggers, was carried almost
unanimously. Similar meetings were held at Geelong and Sandhurst, so
that there could be no doubt as to the general feeling against the
Government; and when, at the beginning of 1855, thirteen of the
prisoners were brought up for trial in Melbourne, and each in his turn
was acquitted, crowds of people, both within and without the courts,
greeted them, one after an