TTTE FATHER OF ALL TTIE COATS 203 



iiie tlicy put 111}' rather iu pri.-suu, aiul then my Inothur ; 

 and I thought I had better go quite away. I was for one 

 year hv nivself ahout the mountains, pickino- up wliat 1 

 could get. 1 could not at first find any companions that 

 were any good for that sort of woik. Tlicn came the time 

 for tlie conscription. Many ran away to escape lieing 

 ihawii, so 1 oot some o-ood men. Tlierc were nine of us, 

 aiii] I was captain, but we liad no guns. There was a 

 forest with saw-mills. Due of the mill-owners who was 

 enemy to the other told me that this one had many rifles. 

 We went to his house one night and demanded llieni. ih' 

 said lie liad not slot anv. Tlien we made him sio'ii a bond 

 to procure them ; and as the first mill-owner !ia<l t(»l(l us 

 wrongly, we compelled him to join in the bond — so it was 

 quite fair to both. We got those rifles all right, and cart- 

 rido-es. 1 was a brinand ciuht vears. 1 never killeJ anv 

 one for money ; but if any one would not stop, or if he was 

 going to give information to the authorities, of course we 

 had to kill liiin. if one of us were wounded we <liil oui' 

 best to carry him oil', but if this were impossible"' — here 

 he made a siixnificant (vesture across his throat. "But we 

 all knew that was necessary, it would never do to leave 

 a wounded man to fall into the hands of the soldiers. 

 He mio-lit betra\' the rest of us. Once a man asked 

 us all to his house to su})per. Then he sent to the 

 Governor to sa\' that Bonlja's ]iarty were there : but 

 we heard a noise and jxot awa\'. A Ibrtnio-ht afterwards 

 we came back and slit his nose and ears." (This he said 

 in a tone of righteous indignation, as if he would evidently 

 like to do it again.) "We used to slop nirnliaiits and 

 camel-drivers, and the villagers gave us what we wanted 



