nown as 'bushrangers,' and great numbers of them were along the
routes to the mines. They lived in caves among the hills, or in the open
air, and occasionally took shelter in out stations on sheep runs. They
supplied themselves with food by stealing sheep and cattle from the
ranches, and by robbing wagons laden with provisions on their way to the
mines. Clothing they obtained by the same system of plunder, and
whenever the haunt of a gang was discovered by the police it was almost
invariably found to be well stocked with provisions and clothing.

"These were the fellows that made life miserable to the miners returning
to the coast. The bushrangers traveled in gangs of all the way from five
to fifteen or twenty, and sometimes more, and each gang was led by the
most desperate man among them. They used to 'stick up' solitary
travelers, or travelers in groups of a dozen or more. They lay in wait
at turnings of the road or near the summits of hills, and generally took
their victims by surprise. If a man submitted quietly to be robbed, he
was generally left unharmed, but if he made any resistance, he was
knocked senseless or shot down without the least compunction. Sometimes
these gangs were so numerous that hardly a traveler escaped them. Then
there would be a lull in the business for a time and the road would be
particularly safe.

"Once a week or so, gold was sent down from the mines by the government
authorities; and of course it was accompanied by a strong and well-armed
escort of police. Many people entrusted their gold to the escort, paying
a high premium for the guarantee of safe delivery in Melbourne. A good
many people used to accompany the escort for the protection it afforded,
but the number became so great and troublesome that the government at
length refused to permit travelers to go in that way unless they paid
the same premium on the gold that they carried as was paid by those who
shipped the precious metal. Not infrequently the bushrangers attacked
the government escort, and on several occasions they were successful.

"It was a piece of good fortune that, as a general thing, the
bushrangers were never able to agree with each other very long. After a
gang had been organized and selected its leader, dissensions arose very
speedily, particularly as to the division of the spoil. The leader
always believed that he ought to have a larger share of the plunder than
anybody else, while all the subordinate members bel