“The sun had been just an hour up, when we saw Warburton and Howe upon the top of a hill, coming towards the hut. We expected they would be with us in a quarter of an hour, and so we sat down upon the trunk of a tree, inside the hut, calmly waiting their arrival. An hour passed, but they did not come; so I crept to the door cautiously and peeped out--there I saw them standing, within a hundred yards of us, in earnest conversation: as I learnt afterwards, the delay arose from Howe’s suspecting that all was not right. I drew back from the door to my station; and in about ten minutes after this we plainly heard footsteps, and the voice of Warburton;--another moment, and Howe slowly entered the hut--his gun presented and cocked. The instant he spied us, he cried out, ‘_Is that your game?_’--and immediately fired; but Pugh’s activity prevented the shot from taking effect, for he knocked the gun aside. Howe ran off like a wolf. I fired, but missed. Pugh then halted, and took aim at him, but also missed. I immediately flung away the gun, and ran after Howe. Pugh also pursued--Warburton was a considerable distance away. I ran very fast--so did Howe; and if he had not fallen down an unexpected bank, I should not have been fleet enough for him:--this fall, however, brought me up with him;--he was on his legs, and preparing to climb a broken bank, which would have given him a free run into a wood, when I presented my pistol at him, and desired him to stand: he drew forth another, but did not level it at me. We were about fifteen yards from each other--the bank he fell from between us. He stared at me with astonishment; and, to tell you the truth, I was a little astonished at him; for he was covered with patches of kangaroo skins, and wore a long black beard--a haversack and powder-horn slung across his shoulders. I wore my beard also--as I do now; and a curious pair we looked like. After a moment’s pause, he cried out, ‘Black beard against grey beard, for a million!’--and fired:--I slapped at him; and, I believe, hit him; for he staggered; but rallied again, and was clearing the bank between him and me, when Pugh ran up, and with the butt end of his firelock knocked him down again, jumped after him, and battered his brains out, just as he was opening a clasp knife to defend himself. “This was the fate of the last and most ferocious of the Bush-rangers--a villain, who never was known to have done an act of humanity, and who had coolly murdered numbers of his fellow-creatures.” [“Well; did you get the reward, for ridding the world of the rascal?” demanded Sergeant Dobson.] “Yes; the reward was divided amongst Pugh, Warburton, and myself; but we got subscriptions from the settlers, to twice the amount; and I was sent home free, with the thanks of the Governor and the public.” [“By my soul, you desarved all you got,” said Corporal O’Callaghan. “Did you carry the fellow’s body with you?”]