356 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES. 



explored the forest in all directions on the route to Ballan, 

 but discovered no traces or intelligence of my late acquaint- 

 ance, either from our own observation or the reports of 

 others, and after a long day spent in this manner, returned 

 to the station as wise as we started. Indeed, I have no 

 doubt he had only changed his quarters to some other 

 hiding-place, much more secure, not far from the place we 

 had breakfasted, and inaccessible to horses, and was resolved 

 in my own mind not to go there on a solitary eel-fishing 

 expedition again just yet, but take advantage of the escort 

 to return to Ballarat. The inspector of police considered 

 from my description that the individual I had met was a 

 celebrated bush-ranger, who had lately committed some 

 notorious robberies on the roads to Melbourne and Geelong, 

 and after whom the police had been in hot pursuit for some 

 time. 



About ten days subsequent to this adventure I observed 

 on the charge sheet a case of robbery with violence com- 

 mitted near Ballan, at which place the robber had been 

 identified by his victim, and given in charge to the police. 

 Upon the case being heard I was rather astonished to reco- 

 gnise my old acquaintance of the waterfall, and when I com- 

 mitted Jiim for trial to Geelong, he seemed to be quite aware 

 of the coincidence, and only sorry he had not put it out of 

 my power to pay him this attention. 



Australian squatters in general are excellent and fearless 

 riders, mounting horses fresh from the bush, untamed, un- 

 broken, and full of many vices, particularly the formidable 

 one of buck-jumping, in a way that would astonish many an 



English rough-rider and steeple-chase jockey. Mr. F 



was remarkable for his prowess in this way. He had a large 

 mob of horses on his run, and they were generally notorious 

 for their buck-jumping propensities, and I remember his 

 accompanying me one day on my return from his house to 



