AUSTRALIAN BUSHRANGING.

Otago Witness, Issue 2572, 8 July 1903, Page 84

AUSTRALIAN BUSHRANGING.

J3r CHARLES WHITE.

(All rights reserved.) vtTHUNDERBOLT" (FREDERICK WARD). Next to Morgan, perhaps, no individual bushranger earned greater notoriety thaa did Frederick Ward, otherwise calkd "Thunderbolt." He vrz<s an old "Cockatoo" bird, and one of tho few prisoners who escaped from that gruesome island. The escape was effected on September 11, 1865, and Ward had for a companion in nis flight a follow convict named Br-itten. Having evaded the sentries and got across the water dividing the island from the mainland, the two men headed for tho Ha\vkcsbury> and, despite the efforts of the police to reoaipturo them, managed to got clean a-way. Ward was a native of Windsor, and at the time of lus flight was about 27 years of age. He was in point of siae and agility a good sairnlc of the "Hawkesbury native," a splendid horseman, and fearless and daring to a degree. To stimulate the police in their efforts to re arrest the bolter, the Government offered a reward of £25; but very shortly after his escapo ho disappeared from tho district, and all efforts to traoe him were for a timo fruitless. When next he was heard of he was making a name for himself as a bushranger in the New England district. Like Mcrgan, ho preferred generally to work singlehanded ; but one person knew all his secrets, sympathised in all has troubles, i-heltercd him, watched for him, and proved a faithful friend. That p^r=on was a woman, and it is questionable if encr bushranger had a ' mate" more serviceable or more devoted. "Thunderbolt" had a lca\g reign, and during five or six years his name was kept prominently before the pubic, while his person ■nas eagerly sought after \ry tho police of the district oliictiy infested by lum. Ho was a terror to the maihi.en of tinnorth, and, sometimes alone, sometime-* m company with othera, "stuck tip" the drivers, rifled the mail-bags, robbed tlio passengers, and then led<=urely decamped. His paramour did not accompany him in his raids, but was generally near at hand in some secure camp, to v/hich " Thunderbolt " ■would resort when hard pressed by the police or in want of provisions. Sho was an intelligent, pleasant-looking half- ' caste, able to read and writ© fairly well, and more refined in her speech than many of hor European sisters, having been carefully trained in her younger daye. At one time bhe waa in the habit of riding about in manN attire, collecting hordes or information, procuring cupplics, or doing any other (

odd jobs which it would be rnnsafo for her comrade to engage in. It was by her means and through her indefatigable exertions that "Thunderbolt" wa3 enabled for ' so lon-g a time to evade capture; ami although the police arrested her on a charge of vagranoy, nothing could be proved against her, and she was released, agann to serve the master whose critical fortunes she l;a-d elected to follow. On more than one occasion, when hard pressed for food in some lonely retreat in the bust, and when a visit to any settler's house cr wayside store would have furnished a clue as to the hiding place, she was known to hamstring ' i a, young calf (using a sl'arp shear- blade faste-ned to the end of a long stick for the purpose), cut up the carcase, and carry the meat to the "camp." During a portion of the time she had several children with her, I but towards the latter part of 1866 she went ! "down the country" and left aU but one — '• the youngest — with some of "Thunderbolt's*" friends. She proved faithful to her lvunted paramouV to the last, and, as wall l« seen farther on, " Thunderbolt " proved faithful to her, inasmuch as at great persoa.ftl risk lie found for a comfortable resting place in which slle could breathe her last. On four different occasions he stopped and robbed the "Warialda mail, and on each succeeded in making a good haul. In February, 1867, the mail was be-ing driven , to Tam worth by Abraham Bowdcn, who I had with him a passenger named Derring- i ton. They had just passed Manilla when the command to " bail iip " was heard, and having obeyed the mandate the two men , were ordered to pass into the bvsix a mile from the road, whore "Thunderbolt" had a sec Mid horse tied up. Here Bowdeii was j commanded to hand out the mail bags and , to take up his position vrit.h Dernngton about 30 yards di=taj't while tho hu.-hraiig<r rifled the bags, taking from t.h© letters all the note, cheques, and orders which tbry contained He then took tl>e mailman's i saddle, whvh he said he would return, and ea«*d Derrington of wme cheques and wher, but handed back the latter; after which he rode off, lcadrng the second horse. As soon as he had disappeared Bow den rodo back j to Manilla for a saddle, and while there olxeryed two horses on tho upper side of tho river, which he believed to foe " Thunderbolt's." Having resumed his journey towards Tamworth he met Constables Norm, Shaw, and Doherty, who were returning to their stations from the seesions at Baraba. To these he told bis story, and th-en puyhod on to Tamworbh to acquaint the police there. Afbsr robbing tho mail the bushranger crossed the Namoi to Mr , Hill's publichouse, and while he was tliere , M'Kinnon, the supei-infcendant of Manilla 1 Station, rode up. "Thunderbolt" j-aw him j coming, aud at once went out, and, rpount-ir-g his horse, sat in the saddle awaiting lus •approach. Thinking that the 6 f rang<?r was some traveller, M'Kiimon paid no attention i to him, and, liaving finished his business at i Hill's, crossed the river to Vencw's publ-c-hous<>, where he saw several persons in excited conversation, and learned from thorn thai iiyn mail had been robbed. Before the I narration ooncluded there was aai intarrupI tion. Htaring Mrs Voness utter a scream, I M'Kirraon. turned his heat! and saw the supposed traveller whom he had mot at Hill's standing behind him and presenting a revolver at his head. "Thunderbolt" ordered him to dismount a.nd take hie place with tlie other people, whom he also commanded to " hail up." After overhauling tbo superintendent and making an exchange of saddles, ho entered into conversation with his prisoners and partook of some grog, for which he paid. After an hour had elapsed, M'Kiimon begged to be allowed to proceed on hi-3 journey to Tamworth, saying ho wa6 on hk way to tine elector's, aud having obtained permission was fixing the saddle on his lior'e preparatory to making a ytart, when all w«re startled by hearing the bufhrangv;r ejaculate- "What's that-" and looking down tho road they «aw Constable Norr:e approurli ng. " Thitn l"ibolt" at once mounted Ins hor a c and rodo leisurely round the corner and along a feneo .fcouanl, the ii\e>r leaving tho pack horso at the hotel. As , Noin.s rodo up the people at the hotel triwl out to him: " Bushran?or ! alter him!" and tho constable at once let tho pack horbo ho wa.3 leading go, pulled the re\<»lver out of its pouch, and followed. But the dia^c was short and ineffectual, for Norm was soon back at the hotel, and " Thunderbolt" wae poen on tho opposite br.nk of tlie river. As Norm returned to the hotel, Constable Shaw drove up in a bupgy, and after a consultation tho two policemen got into the buggy and drove towards the ri\er. , As they atoended the opposite bank they caught sight of the bushranger, who had evidently been waiting for them, for -when they came within haihnp; distance he called upon them to stand. Shaw replied with a shot, from his ie\olver. but ku> aim was

defective, and "Thunderbolt" put spurs to his horse and disappeared. The two policeancn then drove up to Hill's house, 1 and while Shaw proceeded to take the horse out of the buggy Norris ran back to Venees's for the horse he had left, to find that the bvcdiranger bad crossed the river and ridden down tho road, picking up as he weut the* pack-horse whioh the constable had been leading. Sergeant Doherty at this juncture appeared on the scene, and Norris having joined him the two started in pursuit of tho bushranger, who they were informed waa more than half drunk, .and might be easily i captured if they were smart. BeforS they had proceeded very far they oaught sight of " Thunderbolt," and getting within range they fired, but withoxit effect; and finding that the cha,*© was getting too warm tho bushranger abandoned Norris's pack-horse and soon oufcpa-cvcl his pursuers, who re- ! turned to the hot-el to report another failure. I Attention was then directed to the packhorse which " Thunderbolt" had left at the hoteJ, and in the eaddle-bags were found the cheques eind orders that had been taken from the mailbags, amounting in all to £427, but the more easily negotiable bank notes that had been taken were not there, the bushranger having doubtless considered his own pockets tho safest place for them. Shortly after this " Thunderbolt" made his appearance on the road with a boy ac his robber companion, and th© queerly-assorted pair committed many depredations on the j road, her Majesty's mails stiH forming tho oliief attraction. The boy's name was Mason, and it was not long before he established a reputation for reckless daring 1 eq\ial to that of his chief. In many instances they abstained fiom robbing tho I passengers or the driver, and contented ' themselves with riflimg the bags and " sort1 ing"' the letters, in which york they beoaine quite proficient. Together they held the road, defying all tlie efforts of the police to capture them, for they took care to be , always provided with the fleetest horses, I weU J known racers having to leave their owners' stables aud do duty as hacks for them. How they managed to evade the police for such a length of time was a , mystery, for credit must be given to tho I latter for putting forth every effort to take them. All attempts to discover their camps or hiding plaoee while occupied were fruitless, although the baffled officials would now and then succeed in following a trail leading to a deserted retreat, tlie " birds" havwig flown to some other locality before their arrival. But while so frequently levying blackmail upon the post m its transit from one place to another, "Thunderbolt" and hi> boy mate were not particular as to the victims. The money they stole from the mailbags waa not spent in tho purchase of stores, although some of it may have gone into the pockets of active eympatliiscTd and assistants, who, themselves not bold tnough to "take tho bush," kept th© bushramger posted in the movements of the police. If stores were wanted they were generally obtained in sufficient quantities by a sudden descent upon some roadside pub-store (in those days the publican generally served in the double capacity of grog-seller and grocer), from the stock in which a good choice of needful articles could bo made. - " Thunderbolt" and his boy would present themselves at tho establishment, each Ip-ading a paok-horse — not the hea^y animal usually led by the traveller, and whose chronic pace was a slow jog-trot, but a well-bred, fleet-footed beasfc, equal to the baik of a break-the-record pace if necessity arose — which they would load with flour, tea, sugar, potted fiih, and anything else that the unfortunate storekeeper ; might have in stock, not forgetting a bottle or two of spirits. When fully loaded they would ride off as emldenlv as tJioy appeared. If tliere did not happen to be a general store near whan provisions ran short a visit would bo paid to the house of a well-to-do fcettler, and if nothing more than provisions were taken the latter would count himse-lf remarkably fouunate. Shortly after "Thunderbolt' 1 had committed a series of depredations, ending with the robbery or ihe Tamuorth-Singlcton mail, tho Hoverpme-nt awoke to the necessity of offering further inducements to the lilies su,tl otheis to e-ffeot hi* capture, and the following notice was publibhcd in the Gazette i-iid ne-v\.-paper3 : — Colonial Secretary's Office. £200 KEWAKD FOR THE APPJiEH ENSIGN OP FREDERICK WARD (OTHERWISE KNOWN AS "THUNDERBOLT") AND £50 EACH FOR ACCOMPLICES. "Whereas the above-named convict, who effected his escape from tho penal establishment, Cockatoo Island, on the 11th September, 1863, is st 11 at large, aud is further charged! with the commission of divers other serious crimes: Ana whereas, by notice dated the 4th December, 1865, a reward of £100 was offered by the Government for the capture of this offend^i ; Notice a hereby giveu that an ia-

creased reward of £200 will be paid by the Government for the apprehension of the abovenamed offender, or, if effected upon information received, then one-half the reward to the person giving such information, and the other moiety to the person or persona effecting the, capture; and, further, that the Government will pay a reward of £50, to be similarly diyicted, for the apprehension of any accomplice of the Baid Frederick Ward, arrested in his company, or associated with him in the commission of crime. The above reward to bo in lieu of all other rewards payable by tho Government under previous notice for the apprehension or conviction of this offender. Henry Parkes. But still the depredations continued. Aa month followed month, and as report after report was published of highway robberies by one man whose immunity from arrest caused men to marvel, only those who were compelled to dp so travelled through the infested district; and these reeorted to every imaginable device for secreting the money and valuables they were compelled to carry with them, in the hope that they would be able to pass Ecathle«3. A serious block to business was caused by this state of things, and the residents of the northern district fretted under it. Business peoplo were afraid to forward money through the post; when they were compelled to do so they sent it in the form of cheques. But even these were not allowed to pass by "Thunderbolt," who invariably took thorn away with him, and either concealed them in the bush or destroyed them, uttering many complaints about the "infernal" custom which had sprung up of paying for everything with "paper," which, in a bushranger's hands, ■was not negotiable. For some time after Mason joined him tho two worked together, and occasionally the older ruffian would stand asid-a and allow the younger to do the whole work, himself keeping a watchful eye upon the intercepted travellers, who we.ro naturally indignant that they should have to submit to be robbed by a boy scarcely out of hia teens. "Thunderbolt" was one of those men of the road who could boast with truth that he was always courteous, if not kind, to females who might happen to be in tho company of those "stuck up"; and he trained hia bushranger apprentice to aofc courteously also. On one occasion when he had stopped the mail coach betwe-en Murrurundi and WaDabadah, there were two fomales among the passengers, and he ostentatiously instructed Mason to confine his attention solely to the mailbags, and not to molest the passengera in any way for fear of " hurting the ladies' feelings." Tho lad was armed with a gun, And seemed inclined to " show off " a little in front of tho women, grumbling not a little that bis " boss" should allow the men to escape for tho sake of the women, especially as th» principal letters contained the objectionable "paper" instead of money. A little later some excitement was created by tho news spreading that the police had encountered " Thunderbolt " on two occasions and had captured him — nearly. The first part of the report was correct. Seniorconstabke Dalton and Cantrill had been vigorously scouring the bush, and had com© aeioss tracks which they believed to bo those of the bushranger, and which they co'ifluded were leading to his camp in the mountains. They followed those tracks to a point which they knew would not admit of any turning, and then dismounted. Leaving their horses they proceeded cautiously into the bush on foot in the direction of the spot where they concluded the camp would be It was night when they began this march, and they could not make much headway, but as day dawned on the following morning they saw that for once they bad hit upon a good trail; at a distance of . about 60 yards they saw the bushranger, •who was in the act of putting on his boots preparatory to catching his horse, which wj.3 grazing ne-ar. He had ono boot on anl tho other and a bridle in his hands, but a slight noi&e oaused him to look up, and oatching sight of the police he dropped the boot and bridle and dashed off into the pcnibby range close at hand, the police following aa fast as they could and firing as they ran. But neither their firing nor their running proved effective. " Thunderbolt " had an advantage over his pursuers in knowing tho course, and after a race of about a mile he succeeded in getting away at a spot where the scrub was more than Übually dense. Returning to the camp the police secured a boot and two horses, ono of which was supposed to belong- to the boy Mason, and returned with them in. triumph to the station. At a. later hour of the day another party of police came across "Thunderbolt" on the same range. They had been escorting the mail from WariaJda to Tamworth, and had turned off tho road on tho return journey when they saw two horsemen talking to a woman on the range. At first they thought the man belonged to the police, <v one of the horses looked likd

• " force " animal, but on nearer approach, they saw fhat it was " Thunderbolt " and M«on, and 'that they were talking to the mistress of the former. The police made a rush, and bo did the bushrangers, each of •whom held a spare horse, which was dropped as coon as the flight commenced. Shortly after starting "Thunderbolt" and the boy separated, each taking a different road through the bush, but the police continued to chase the larger game, being more arm»Uß to catch the master than the apprentice. They fired several times, but the bullete ddi not hit the mark at which they were simad, and the bushrangers again escaped, although the pursuers reported that they !h*d seen blood on the track, as though either » man or a horse had been wounded. " Thunderbolt " wae atilf minus one boot, the foot having a black cloth wrapped round it. When the police returned to pick up the two spara horses the woman whom they had at first seen had disappeared. The separation between the master and his boy proved fatal to the latter. He made no effort to Je join "Thunderbolt," believing that he had fallen into the hand« of his pursuers, and at once started off for another part of the country. The encounter in which he and his master were separated took place on the Borah Ranges, and for some time the police concentrated their forces in this locality, imagining that " Thunderbolt "#" # and the boy would endeavour to rejoin each other near the spot at which they had been driven apart. Mason was riding a good horse when he disappeared, but the hard riding took all the go " out of it, and before he had reached Bangar's Station, about 30 miles from Millie, it had completely knocked up. , Leaving the horse, Mason put away his arms and the saddle and bridle, and performed the rest of the journey on foot. Here word was conveyed to the police, and Seniorconstable Connery and other members of the force started in pursuit from Narrabri, and captured Mason without any resistance on the latter's part. -The youngster admitted that he was "Thunderbolt's" boy, and that he had with him committed several robberies. He had on his person when arre3ted cheques amounting to about £100, which had been taken from the Merriwa ma-tL During hia trip to Tamworth he became very communicative to the police, giving thorn an account of hia life. Among othei things he told them that he waa apprenticed out of the Orphan School to a Mr Shaw, in the employ of Messrs Gilchrifit, Watt, and Co., of Sydney, at the agd of 12 years; that he remained with bun for some time and then proceeded "up country," where he engaged with different persons; that he ■wae doing a job of fencing when he fell in with "Thunderbolt," who represented himself as a *quat>ter, and engaged him to «£s>3t in taking a mob of horses overland; that be soon ascertained "ThunderbakV' real character, and did not hesitate to join him in tihe free but dangerous life that he was leading, Mason was ait the tune of 'his arrest only about 16 yoaj3 of age, of alight build, fair complexion, and not by any means a fonmidable-kioking character. In due couDse the youthful bandit was brought oefore the court and committed for trial, waa tried, and sentenced to a eomparatirerr short term of imprisonment, whadi term he served only to be released and imprisoned again, a proceeding which was repeated several times, sentences of 10, 14, and 20 years following each other. After the capture of his boy mate "Thunderbolt" continued hia single-handed depredations, his extraordinary power of keeping out of the hands of the police still being the constant theme of conversation. Occasionally, however, the hunters and the hunted would come near each other, but the' report made by the former after the event presented a monotonous sameness. Towards the end of 1867 "Thunderbolt" made hie ameuranee at the house of a settler on the Goulburn River, near Muswellbrook, and told the woman of the house a story which at once aroused her pity. His.faithful mistress was sick unto death, and he desired to secure^for her a little comfort during her declining hours. He had nursed her for aomo time in their secret camp; but the rough life which she had been compelled to lead and tthe constant anxious look-out which she had kept had undermined her health, and she was slowly dying. Would Mrs Bradford take pity on her, admit her to the shorter of her house, and peonit her to breathe her last beneath a roof? It would not be safe for him to attempt to bring the woman to the house, but he woukl deeortba the place so that it could bo easily found if Mrs Bradford would atrree to perform this act of charity; otherwise, be would seek aid from the clergyman (*be Rev. Mr White), who happened to be in the neighbourhood, and ask him to report her condition to the police, and have her "attended to, for he must Ipave the district, which was getting too warm for him, at once. Mrs Bradford readily consented to do as "Thunderbolt" desired, and herself proceeded to the spot described by him, and found the poor half caste woman lying hehpiess and speechless in an extemporised camp near a cave on the mountain side, eheHtred from the eun'a rays by some bcufha. Without delay a cart was procured, and " Yellow Long" — fehat was the name by which she was commonly known — was slowly carried to Mrs Bradford's house. " Thttndorbolt" had stated correctly that she could not Kvo many hours. It waa seen that «he was dying, and while one messenger went to inform the police, another was despatched for tlw clergyman. The latter arrived shortly beforo the woman died, and the police immediately afterwards. It was only natural, of course, that " Thunderbol*" should seek aid and shelter for his faithful paramour in her dire extremity, and it was not leee natural that he should desire for her decent burial aftor death. Yet, in comparison with some of tlte early bushran?*ra, he was singular in this respect. 'J"h» reader may remember how Michael Howa turned upon the woman who had served him so faithfully and in cold hlood shot her down when ahe was running by hia side endeavouring to escape from tho poheo. The sick woman must have b*en a ooastan-t sottroe of danger to '' Thunderbolt" during tho month preceding her death, yot ho tended her carefully until all hope of recovery bad fled, and did not scruple to rereal hia hdding-placo in order to Meure for her an easy death-bed. When the police subsequently visited the oemp th«r found one of the bushranger's horses tied up near the place; but the bushranger hfkn«elf had disappeared, end search for him proved fruitless.

For s«voral weeks nothing web heard of him, and nuuiy persons oonduc&ed that he bad oajri«d out tho intention expressed to Mrs Bradford, and left the district. J3ut all uncertainty was .set M* rest ono morning by the report that he had been g&ea. and

chased — ineffectually, of course— foy the police. Owing to his frequent raids, police were told off to patrol the roads between certain places, and while carrying out that duty two troopers unexpectedly oame across him when shoeing his horse in the bed of the Namoi River, near Manilla. Not expecting to find him in that locality, they Were proceeding leisurely on their way^ talking rather loudly as they rode, when they suddenly espied a horseman in the river's bsd. There waa a mutual recognition, and simultaneous excited movements, the troopers on the bank, which at this spot was very^ steep, riding at good speed towards a point which they knew would afford the man below an opportunity of ascending to level ground with them, and the busnrangier pressing forward at top speed, eagerly looking for a tolerably easy spot to elimjb. He discovered that spot before the troopers could close upon him, and, facing his horse at the bank, he scaled it within view end almost within range of his pursuers. Then ensued a rather exciting chase for a couple of miles ; but " Thunderbolt" was riding a very fine blood animal which ihe had stolen from Mr Clift, of Breeza, and almost without effort he outpaced the horsea ridden by the troopers, and disappeared in the bush, one of hie pursuers firmg a harmless shot after him. For fully two yesurs after this harmless encounter " Thunderbolt" remained at large, making occasional raids on travellers, coaches, and wayside stores, and then hastening back to some olose retreat in tho mountains. But in May, 1870. his long career waa brought to a close, and in a manner as sudden as it waa unexpected. He was at this time near the little town of UraUa, whose iruhabitante were one afternoon about du»k thrown into a fever of excitement by the intelligence that the bushranger was at that moment engaged in sticking-up travellers and others at Blanche's inn, about three miles from the township. The news was brought in by a hawker, who had himself been robbed by " ThunderboLt," but who had obtained permission to proceed on bis journey, taking the road leading away from the town. At a convenient spot, however, he turned and made all hasto to Uralla, where he made his errand known to the police, and Senior Constable Mulhall, the officer in oharge of the station, xt once started out for the scene of the operations, instructing Constable Walker, the lock-up keeper, to follow him aa soon as he had changed his uniform for a private suit. Approaching Blanche's place Mitchell caw two well-mounted men talking together near a garden at the end of the inn, and at once concluding that one of them was "Thunderbolt," he galloped forward and fired his revolver. His horse took fright at the sound of the shot, and made away, but it had not gone many hundred yards back towards Uralla when Walker was met with. Pointing to the men in the distance, Mulhall said to Walker: "There are the wretches — I have just exchanged shots with them." . Walker advanced by himself, and the men at the same moment separated, one of them coming along the road and the other starting off at a gallop through the bush. Rightly concluding that the latter was the man he wanted, Walker put spurs to his horse and galleped after him; but, coming into contact with a sapling where the bush was thick, he "came a cropper," although he managed to stick to the reina. Just a 9 he fell the bushranger turned in his saddle and fired, the ball whistling close to Walker's ear. Quickly remounting, the constable resumed the chase, and then saw that his man was trying to double round the pad- ! dock which adjoined the gar don, with the object of getting back to the main road. Putting his horse to speed, he managed to block the way in that direction, and forced the bushranger into a small gully and through some swampy ground up a hill on the other side. From this vantage point the bushranger again took aim and fired upon his pursuer, but without result. He then galloped up to some large granite rocks at the edge of a pool, plunged into the water, and swam over, leaving his horse on the> other eide. But Walker was "up to the dodge." He saw that the design of the bushranger was to " spell" his horse, double round the hole to him if his pursuer followed, and thus have a clear escape back to tho road again. He thereupon turned his attention for the moment to the horse, and riding up to him sent a revolver bullet through his brain. By this means he literally destroyed the enemy's boats, and forc&d him to an encounter. Having destroyed the horge, the plucky constable then rodo round, crossing a narrow slip of water by which the hole was connected with another of somewhat similar dimensions. "Thunderbolt," making another dash, got across the narrow strip, and had just reached the top of the bank when his pursuer reached the edge of the opposite side. Here tho two men paused, facing each other, and the bushranger spoko " Who are you?" he asked. Walker replied, "Never mind; surrender," "Are you a policeman?" queried the other. " I am ; 1 you surrender," replied his opponent. "What's your name?" again asked the bushranger. "My name is Walker." "Have you a wife and family?" asked the man of the road. Walker replied, " I thought of that before I came here; you surrender." " Thunderbolt " replied, "No; IT. die first" ; and then Walker stuck spurs into his horse, and crying out, " You and I for it!" sought to urge his animal across the water separating him from hia opponent. But his haste nearly cost him hi 9 life. As the horse jumped forward under the spur-stab he missed his footing and plunged into the creek almost head first. Before- he could recover the bushranger cushed forward end endeavoured to pull the constable from the sa<ddle into the water, his object no doubt being to either disable or kill his opponent, and then escape on his horse. That ho did not succeed in his object was not his fault, for he was a strongly-built, mueclar man, while Walker had onfy just recovered from - long sickness, and if it had been a mere test of strength between the two men tho constable must have gone under. But the latter was fortunate in having reserved one charge in his revolver, and in having kept the weapon out of the water. At the critioal moment ho managed to press the revolver against the bushranger's body and pull the trigger. Simultaneously with the discharge of tho piece " Thunderbolt" uttered a cry of rage and pain, and staggered back : but, speedily recovering himself — although, as was afterwards seen, the bullet had passed clean through his body, tearing his right lung and coming out at the back, — he made another dutch at hia opponent. Walker know that he had fired his last shot. He at once turned the revolver and used it ac

a club, striking his assailant on the head and knocking him back into the water, which at this spot was about 4ft deep. He then jumped from his horse and dragged his fallen foe to the bank, where, after two or three gasps, " Thunderbolt' " expired. Night had now fa'len, and the officer, leaving the body of the bushranger on the bank of the lagoon, rodo back to Blanche's, near which place he again met the man whom he had 6oen with "Thunderbolt" on his arrival. Thinking he was an accomplice, Walker, who was now without ammunition, boldly called upon him to surrender, which he did. Explanations followed. It turned out that the man, who was a (drover, had some horses in his charge, and had been " bailed up" by the outlaw, and the horse the constable had shot was one that "Thunderbolt" had taken from him and was giving a trial to. This explained the attempt made by the bushranger to double back to the inn, where he had left hie own horse — a splendid thoroughbred. Had he succeeded in doing this he would have easily shown his pursuer a clean pair of heels. Having informed the people at Blanche's Inn of what had taken place. Walker started with some of them to remove the body, but owing to the darkness of the night the exact spot where the body lay could not be found, and it wars decided to abandon the search until the following morning. No difficulty was experienced in discovering the spot in daylight ; and the body having been removed to Uralla, a magisterial inquiry was he!d before Mr Buchanan, J.P . and a verdict of justifiable homicide was returned. Walker received the reward which the Government had offered for " Thunderbolt's" capture, and in due course wae further rewarded by promotion in the ranks of the force of which he had proved himself so useful a member. What "Thunderbolt" had done with all the money he had taken during his buehranging career waa a mystery which no per«on was able to solve, and to this day that mystery remains unsolvpd. T'mlike many of the other " men of the road," he had very few friends in the district to which his depredations werp eonfired, and his takings couJd not have been dissipated in gifts as hush-man«y or payments for service* rendered as telegraphs. The general impression was that he had " planted" the bulk of the spoil iij the bush,* find that impression wa^s strengthened by a discovery that was made 20 years afterwards in a cave which had been used by him and hia half-caste paramour near the Goulburn River. A lad was hunting for birds' egge at this spot in 1890 and found an oil-bottle containing a large number of £5 Commercial Bank notes. The motes were damp and mouldy, and it was only with difftciilty that the numbers could be deciphered on some of them, the pulpy mass being neither good for ornament nor usp>. There can be very little doubt that the notes were hidden by the bushranger in readiness for the flight which he contemplated making with his dark-skinned companion, all hope of which had becm destroyed by the lafcter's illness and death, and the tragic ending of his own career in the encounter with Constable Walker. (To be continued.)