ieved just as
earnestly that their stealings should be divided equally. In this way
quarrels took place. The captain would be deposed and another one
selected, and he in time would share the fate of his predecessors.

"Some of the bushrangers were quite famous for their bravery and daring,
and they used to give the police a great deal of hard fighting. On the
other hand, the police acquired a high reputation for their skill in
fighting and capturing bushrangers. They were instructed to bring in
their captives alive, if possible, but it did not injure their
reputations at all if they killed the scoundrels on the spot. The
government wanted to be rid of the rascals, and frequently offered
rewards for their capture, 'dead or alive.'

"Whenever the bushrangers made a haul of gold dust it was divided as
soon as possible, each man taking his share and doing with it what he
pleased. They generally hid their booty in spots known only to
themselves, and when any of the bushrangers were captured, the police
usually proceeded to draw from them the information as to where their
gold was concealed. Naturally, the fellows were unwilling to say, and if
they refused to tell, various means were resorted to to make them give
up the desired information. Singeing their hair, pinching their fingers
and toes, or submitting them to other physical tortures, were among the
means commonly used.

"When ordinary methods failed, a favorite device was to tie the
bushranger hand and foot, and then place him on an ant hill. The black
ant of Australia has a bite that is very painful, and when hundreds of
thousands of ants are biting a man all at once, the feeling is something
fearful. The ant-hill torture was generally successful. After submitting
to it for a time, the bushranger generally gave up the secret of the
whereabouts of his gold. I do not mean to say that all the police
officials indulged in this harsh treatment, but it is certain that many
of them did.

"It is probable that a great deal of stolen gold is concealed in the
country bordering the road from Melbourne to the gold diggings which
will never be found. Many of the bushrangers were killed while fighting
with the police, died of their wounds, or in prison, or managed to flee
the country without giving up the secret which would have enabled the
authorities to find where their treasures were concealed. Occasionally
one of their deposits is found by accident, but there are doubtless
h