“Tell you what, boy,” he said in a hoarse whisper, “I settled _three_ of ’em--three!” There was an indescribable gloating joy in his tones, like a man telling of the good time he has had with a strange mistress--“Gawr, but I was lucky. I got one of them iron bars from the windows, and I stirred the brains of a couple of them with it, and I broke the neck of a third. Why it was as good as a sword to defend yourself with, see--” He reached his face towards Somers with weird, gruesome exultation, and continued in a hoarse, secret voice: “Cripes, there’s _nothing_ bucks you up sometimes like killing a man--_nothing_. You feel a perfect _angel_ after it.” Richard felt the same torn feeling in his abdomen, and his eyes watched the other man. “When it comes over you, you know, there’s nothing else like it. _I_ never knew, till the war. And I wouldn’t believe it then, not for many a while. But it’s _there_. Cripes, it’s there right enough. Having a woman’s something, isn’t it? But it’s a flea-bite, nothing, compared to killing your man when your blood comes up.” And his eyes glowed with exultant satisfaction. “And the best of it is,” he said, “you feel a perfect _angel_ after it. You don’t feel you’ve done any harm. Feel as gentle as a lamb all round. I can go to Victoria, now, and be as gentle--” He jerked his head in the direction of Victoria’s room. “And you bet she’ll like me.” His eyes glowed with a sort of exaltation. “Killing’s natural to a man, you know,” he said. “It is just as natural as lying with a woman. Don’t you think?” And still Richard did not answer. The next morning he left early for Mullumbimby. The newspaper gave a large space to the disturbance, but used the wisest language. “Brawl between Communists and Nationalists at Canberra Hall. Unknown anarchist throws a bomb. Three persons killed and several injured. Ben Cooley, the well-known barrister, receives bullets in the abdomen, but is expected to recover. Police, aided by Diggers, soon restored order.” This was the tone of all the newspapers. Most blamed the Labour incendiaries, with pious horror--but all declared that the bomb was thrown by some unknown criminal who had intruded himself into the crowd unknown to all parties. There was a mention of shots fired: and a loud shout of accusation against the Mounted Police from the Labour papers, declaring that these had fired on the crowd. Equally loud denials. A rigorous inquiry was to be instituted, fourteen men were arrested. Jack was arrested as the leader of the men who had counted-out Willie Struthers, but he was released on bail. Kangaroo was said to be progressing, as far as could be ascertained, favourably.