THE EEVOLT OF THE DIGGERS 39 



stand only on the defensive, and await developments. Father 

 Smyth sought Lalor's permission to address those of his congrega- 

 tion who were under arms, and this being granted, he besought 

 them with solemn earnestness not to embark on a career of useless 

 bloodshed. He assured them that, with the well-organised Camp 

 opposed to them, and the crushing military force now on its way, 

 they could have no hope of success in actual fighting, and he 

 implored them, as they called themselves Christians, to attend him 

 at Mass on the following morning. His services to the diggers' 

 cause were too well known not to assure him a respectful hearing, 

 so, while it did not lessen the preparations of the leaders, his speech 

 won many silent converts, who made their arrangements to pass 

 the night outside the barriers. During the day men went in and 

 out of the stockade as they listed, with scarcely a pretence of pass- 

 word or challenge. There had been no overt display of the mili- 

 tary during the morning, and the diggers indulged in a mistaken 

 impression that now they had shown they were in earnest the 

 Government would try and find some reason for meeting their 

 requests. They went through their drill evolutions during the 

 forenoon, and their talk was cheerful of the anticipated results 

 of the great meeting called for the following day. By noon a 

 large number of them began to disperse to their own tents, and by 

 two o'clock the stockade was practically deserted, except by those 

 who had come in from some outlying field, and those whose tents 

 were enclosed within the ramparts. According to one witness, there 

 were barely a hundred within the stockade during the afternoon, 

 but towards dusk a good many began to return. There is no 

 reliable record of the number of defenders when the stockade was 

 assaulted, but it is certain that the seven or eight hundred who 

 made it lively on Friday had dwindled to about one-fourth. Prob- 

 ably there were not over two hundred when the watch was set 

 for the night. Of these about fifty had rifles; as many more 

 revolvers and pistols, and a portion of the remainder, pikes, axes 

 and pitchforks ! 



The lack of vigilance and discipline which allowed Lalor's forces 

 to scatter made it easy for strangers to enter, with disastrous results. 

 Amongst the active sharers in the drilling and organising, as well 



