ctions in another colony. From his general bearing and from the
character of his associates, I came to the belief that he was not the
individual named in the warrant, and determined to return to Sydney.
I was informed that he had taken his passage to Melbourne in a mail
steamer. From something which I one day heard his half-caste servant
say, who, being intoxicated, was speaking carelessly, I determined to
accompany them to Melbourne. My suspicions were confirmed on the voyage.
As we went ashore at the pier at Sandridge I accosted him. I said, "I
arrest you on suspicion of having stolen a herd of cattle, the property
of Walter Hood, of Momberah." Prisoner was very cool and polite, just as
any other gentleman would be, and asked me if I did not think I'd made
a most ridiculous mistake. The other passengers began to laugh, as if
it was the best joke in the world. Starlight never moved a muscle. I've
seen a good many cool hands in my time, but I never met any one like
him. I had given notice to one of the Melbourne police as he came
aboard, and he arrested the half-caste, known as Warrigal. I produced a
warrant, the one now before the court, which is signed by a magistrate
of the territory of New South Wales.'

The witnessing part was all over. It took the best part of the day,
and there we were all the time standing up in the dock, with the court
crammed with people staring at us. I don't say that it felt as bad as it
might have done nigh home. Most of the Nomah people looked upon fellows
stealing cattle or horses, in small lots or big, just like most people
look at boys stealing fruit out of an orchard, or as they used to talk
of smugglers on the English coast, as I've heard father tell of. Any man
might take a turn at that sort of thing, now and then, and not be such a
bad chap after all. It was the duty of the police to catch him. If they
caught him, well and good, it was so much the worse for him; if they
didn't, that was their look-out. It wasn't anybody else's business
anyhow. And a man that wasn't caught, or that got turned up at his
trial, was about as good as the general run of people; and there was no
reason for any one to look shy at him.

After the witnesses had said all they knew our lawyer got up and made a
stunning speech. He made us out such first-rate chaps that it looked as
if we ought to get off flying. He blew up the squatters in a general way
for taking all the country, and not giving the poor man a c