.

"Was he not caught attempting to escape? Answer me instantly."

"Yes, but he had no intention of betraying any of us."

"What then was his object?" demanded Captain Stockton sternly.

"He meant to leave you. He had become tired of the life of a bushranger.
He wished to return to the paths of honesty, and live by labor at some
respectable trade."

"And why was this? Why, after so many years, had he become tired of our
noble independence?"

"In one of his missions, undertaken in the interest of the fraternity,
he had made the acquaintance of a young girl, modest and attractive. He
wished to marry her, but as a bushranger he knew this was impossible.
Therefore, he resolved to leave our band, and enter upon a new life. He
would never have uttered a word to imperil the safety of his captain or
his comrades."

"And you expect us to believe this?" said the captain with a sneer.

"I do. I swear it is true."

"And what do you expect me to do, Robert Graham?"

"To consider his temptations, and to show mercy upon him."

"Perhaps also you expect me to release him, and bid him go his way to
the maiden who is waiting for him."

"It would be a generous act."

"But I am not so generous," said the captain. "Your plea is ingenious,
but I put no faith in it. It is utterly improbable. You and your brother
have been with us for seven years. You have become accustomed to our
ways. He was faithful and loyal till the love of gold made him a
traitor. What he sought was blood money."

"No, a thousand times, no!" exclaimed the brother earnestly.

"I say it is so," said Captain Stockton harshly. "It is plain to every
member of the band. Yet, because you have never transgressed, I have
been willing to listen to you, remembering that he is your brother."

"Spare his life at least; even if you are convinced that he is guilty.
He has not lived his life half out. Be merciful!"

"I cannot," answered the captain in an inflexible tone. "If I yielded to
such a weakness all discipline would be at an end. If treachery is to be
pardoned, who knows which one among you might be the next to imitate the
example of this man. No! justice is stern, and punishment must be
inflicted. The guilty must be punished though the heavens fall. Men,
stand aside!"

[Illustration: The Death of the Bushranger Captain.]

This was addressed to the two men who stood, one on each side of the
condemned bushranger.

They obeyed the command of their chief and