The Newtown bee., 1889-05-03
BUsHRANGERs.
SUN STORY OF RANCH LIFE IN NEW
 SOUTH WALES.

IWenty-two years ago, when l had sheep ranch at the intersection of the Murrumbide and the Lachlan rivers, New South Wales, the Australian bush ranger was at the best. was the agent of an English syndicate which owned POO, 900 acres of land and as many sheep, and was at the same time buying and shipping living curiosities to the great animal dealer at Hamburg. The natives of Australia have been thumped about by the English soldiery until they have no spirit left, but in those days portion of them were as bad as the Apaches of the United States. Out in the wilds, they were on the alert for travellers and pioneers, and, though the English ale ways affected to despise them, it Is a fact that every battle ground on the vast 'si""d has nroved them fierce lighters.
 When l finally got settled at the point have named, T had quite an army under me. We had about twenty huts, a stockade enclosing an acre of ground, several big sheep pens, two or three horse pens, dirt fort surrounded by palisades and the number of natives em- ployed as herders was over fifty. Most of these had their wives and children with them and, as there were five white men besides myself, 1t will be seen that we were a pretty strong party. We needed to be. We had gone full hun dred miles beyond civilization and right into the stronghold of the bushrangers and the fighting natives. Three differ ent surveying parties sent out by the government, the last accompanied by seventy-five soldiers, had been attacked and routed with severe loss. It was ex- peeted that I would have trouble, and we arranged for 1t. About thirty of the natives had previously been employed in sheep herding, and were used to fire arms. I bought two pieces of artillery at Sydney and took them along for our fort, and we were plentifully supplied with muskets, repeating carbines and ammunition. Our coming was sur prise to the denizens, and we had time to get settled before they had protected their plans to attack us. We had at that time only about 10000 sheep and over half the herders could be spared for the work of building the pens and erecting the stockades.
 Our village was erected on a fine pla- teau of about two acres in extent. The ground fell away gradually on all sides, and the nearest scrub was about quar- ter of a mile from us on the east. A bit .N N-ss away from the forest to the east and pushed it's way to the prairie towards us. The neck, or thumb, was half q mile long and not over twenty rods wide, and offered splendid cover to force ad- vaneing upon us. saw at once that it would be the point of attack, and at the end built a sheep pen hundred feet wide and two hundred feet long. The side toward us was ten feet high. Our two six-pounders were then loaded with shell and trained upon the pen. We dug two rifle pits on the Hanks of our fort, facing this thumb, and week before the alarm came we had everything in good shape for a fight. I was very anxious to have it come. It was bound Go come sooner or later and, until we had been attacked and given our assail- ants a good thrashing, there could be no such thing as security.
 pne day, when I was almost cursing the natives for their slowness in attack ing, two white men rode up to the post. knew them for bushrangers at a glance. They had the attire and the demeanor, and were mounted on fine horses and carried rifles and revolvers. One of them dismounted at the door of my office and came in. He was a fellow about 50 years old, stout as an OK, and evidently had plenty of nerve, or he would not have shown himself there at all. When we had passed the time of day, he asked for whiskey, tossed down big draught, and then said:
 ''Now, Captain, to business. Hey ye come to stayr'
 1T have"
 '.How much ar'ye willin, to pay?'
 ''For what?'
 I'Fur bein' let alone. You was gettin' settled and was all upsot, and it wouldn't hey bin manners to call on ye sooner. The boys want to know now what they kin count on."
 ssI don't exactly understand you" ] said.
 t'You don'tl took you fur an old campalgner. This'ere land belongs to us. We ar willin' to rent it to you fun fair price. If we make a bargain, il will include our purtection."
 ssThis is government land, or was un- til we filed our papers and made first payment"
 "Was itS Dye see any guv'nment round ere anywheres? Any redcoats al hand to purtect yes'
 'swe can protect ourselves. If your gang and the natives want to live at peace with me, all right. If you want trouble, I'll give you fighting until you are sick of it,
 ssWhewl'' he exclaimed in genuine astonishment. ssWell, if that don't beat me! So you don't propose to pay us rentS S''
 Mot a cent.''
 ssaAnd you don't want our purtectionY
 ''No, sirl''
 "Why, man, ye must be crazy Thar ar dozen or more us bushboys, and we kin rais force of three hundred natives to swoop down on vel! By Sunday, ye won't have sheep nor a hut nor man left, and I'll have yer ears fur keep saisesi''
 siCome and try it," I replied. sLet me alone and I'll let you alone, but if