Mat had seen the signal coming, and, thundering out a loud British “Hurrah!” to call off the attention of the attacking party, in one bound he was up to the combatants, and, holding “old Joe” out at arm’s length, he simply blew off the head of one of his chief’s assailants, and with the remaining barrel scattered the entrails of the other, as he stooped from the shock of the explosion. This happened in the very nick of time, for Dromoora at the same instant fainted from wounds and exhaustion, thus making it appear to all excepting the brothers that all three men had been shot.
“Quick!” sang out Mat, as soon as he had fired; “quick, powder and lead!”
But there was no need for such haste to load.
With the reports of the gun the weapons of the attacking party fell from their hands, and, without looking for a way, they fled in a frenzy of terror.
Our foresters had calculated on this final panic, had foretold it to their friends, and had laid their plans accordingly.
At the signal of the double report up jumped a number of youths from the grass, and, aided by the jins, “rounded up” and drove the greater part of their bewildered enemies in a body towards a previously prepared cutting in the scrub, whilst Mat on one side and Tim and Jumper on the other, kept them from breaking away.
When Mat saw the fugitives fairly entering the cleared path, he gave a loud war-whoop, and fired a dose of slugs at their retreating forms, which, owing to the distance, did not wound them; but it had the desired effect; for, never looking for any impediment that might be in their path, the Tinguras fell one over the other into two rows of kangaroo nets, which had been set there to entrap them.
Leaving the Waigondas, who had passed him in pursuit, to deal with the prisoners, Mat and Tim returned to Dromoora.