In that portion of my story where the scene is laid in New South Wales, the bushranger “Magan,” and his coat of mail will be recognized by many old Colonials, who will remember the great excitement caused by the cruel crimes of this monster, and the subsequently strange manner by which his death was brought about.
In the hopes that this little work may amuse and interest the youth of Great Britain, and also those of my Queensland friends who may come across it, I now offer it to the public.
E. B. K.
CONTENTS.
PAGE | |
| The New Forest—Sampson Stanley the gipsy—Mat and Tim—A New Forest sportsman—Braken Lodge | 1 |
| Squire Bell—Annie’s gift of a book—Shooting a New Forest deer—Felony—Chased by a keeper—Capture—Escape—Fight with a bloodhound | 11 |
| Mat bids farewell to the Forest—The Young Austral—Tim and Jumper on board | 26 |
| Life on board the Young Austral—The wreck—A swim for life—Safe ashore | 35 |
| The island—The gigantic cockle-shell—Amongst the blacks—The Corroboree | 48 |
| Wild honey—They find the wreck—The Thunderstick | 65 |
| Spearing geese—Killing ducks with boomerangs—Possum-hunting—How to make fire—The tribe shift camp—The Boorah—Mat and Tim’s journal | 82 |
| Gold—Hostile natives—Flight by night—The great battle—Clubs—Fists—New Forest wrestling—“Old Joe” | 99 |
| After the battle—Burial rites—The Waigonda wish to make chiefs of the white men—Our “twins” leave with Dromoora and Terebare for the south | 118 |
| Burns’ station—The horse-breaker—Colonial “Blow”—Satan the First—Mat “collars” the buckjumper | 137 |
| An official summons—Travelling in state—Brisbane—On board ship again—Triumphal entry into Sydney—In a church again—The lecture—Meeting old friends—Soft reflections | 147 |
| Tim starts for the Darling Downs—French as spoken by Mrs. Bell—Parson Tabor—Leichardt’s grave—The French “professor”—Mat unmasks the “professor” | 165 |
| Tim’s unpleasant reception at Bulinda—The bushranger’s camp—The robbery—Annie kidnapped—Tim’s good Samaritans | 188 |
| Mat on the trail of the bushranger—Annie’s signal—Mat tracks the bushranger to his lair—The cave—Our hero as the black warrior once more—A fearful fight—Dromoora’s timely cry—Annie’s rescue—Blissful moments | 202 |
| Magan’s armour—Safe at Bulinda Creek again—The professor’s last lesson on the island—Mat and Tim once more together—Tim convalescent | 221 |
| The Squire’s offer—Tim decides to go home—Our heroine’s advice to Mat—Our forester takes to gardening—The “new chum’s” difficulties and troubles | 231 |
| English Society v. Colonial—Music—The “new chum’s” letter—“Two’s company and three’s none”—Unpleasant reflections—Parson Tabor’s advice—Mrs. Bell shows that she has a “down” on our hero—The “Spider”—The “new chum” proves that he is “not such a fool as he looks”—Tim returns home | 249 |
| Our hero visits the old Waigonda country once more—The overlanding—The Golden Gully—The last sight of Dromoora | 274 |
| Bulinda Creek once more—Mat again asks Tabor’s advice—The parson “on matrimony”—Annie’s little arbour | 294 |
| Back in the old Forest—Jumper’s last home—Return of our hero and heroine for good and all to Bulinda Creek—Conclusion and farewell | 306 |
BLACKS AND BUSHRANGERS.