"How many of the bushrangers whom we captured have been condemned to death?"
"Why do you ask?" he inquired.
"Because you know that we have not been able to obtain any information on the subject. A select few were admitted to see them; but they had no formal trial, that I am aware of."
"You are right, they had no formal trial, and they did not deserve one. The examination was secret, and even now not more than fifty people in Melbourne know that the bushrangers are dangling by their necks in the prison yard.
"All?" I cried, surprised at the secrecy which had been maintained.
"Not a man is now alive. They rightly merited their fate, for their careers were stained with cruel crimes; and may God forgive them, for man would not."
Murden wrung our hands, and the next instant he was galloping swiftly towards Melbourne.
We resumed our journey, feeling somewhat saddened by the intelligence which we had received; yet we felt that we had only done our duty in assisting in the arrest of the robbers, and with this conviction, we tried to banish the thoughts of their death.
We soon overtook Smith, who was mounted like ourselves, and through the night we jogged along by his side, relieving the loneliness of the journey with stories and reminiscences of our other expeditions.
It was just about daylight, on the morning of the fifth day from Melbourne, and we were pressing the oxen to their utmost to reach a camping ground before sunrise, when Rover, who had been jogging far in advance of us, stopped suddenly before a thick clump of bushes, which extended some ways along the roadside, and with an angry howl, remained regarding some object which was concealed from our sight.