In the last chapter, giving an account of the search for the four bushrangers who had escaped from Tasmania after committing a series of outrages and murders there and landed on Yorke's Peninsula, I have related with what expedition our Government acted; how a policeman in plain clothes, or detective, as he may properly be called, was sent by Inspector Tolmer to the Peninsula and obtained full information respecting the outlaws before Mr. Tolmer and other troopers arrived; also, how all preparations were made for the capture of the ruffians.

We left Mr. Inspector Tolmer and three of his men in the scrub near Mr. Weaver's out-station, where they had passed a miserable night in the bush, supper-less, and without blankets or other covering. Farrell and Morgan, two of his men, having passed the night in the hut as strangers to each other, in the morning joined their officer. As soon as the shepherd had cleared out of the way with his flock, the officer with his five men proceeded under the guidance of Farrell to Bowden's out-station, keeping under cover of scrub and the oak patches as much as possible.

On coming in sight of the hut in which Farrell had seen and identified two of the missing men, and by his cool and simple manner had passed their keen scrutiny, and where they hoped to catch the runaways they saw a man on horseback leave the hut, and squatted in the scrub out of his sight. Farrell explained that this was Mr. Bowden going to the man at work on the waterhole. Farrell stated his confidence that the blind adopted of calling for the cabbage-plants had succeeded in removing all suspicion as to the near approach of the police.

Although the scoundrels were to be taken in detail, the Inspector considered it necessary to act with the greatest caution so as not to expose himself and his men to avoidable danger, or to anticipate the course of the law. Farrell, in compliance with instructions, had led them to a cover at, and as near as possible to, the gable-end of the one-roomed hut.

Soon after the disappearance of the horseman they crept as silently as possible onwards. At this time, fortunately, a very heavy wind was blowing, enabling them to creep unheard round to the door, which was found to be closed, and had to be opened by a string-latch, on pulling which and opening the door a man was seen in the act of putting a leg of mutton into a boiler on the fire.

He was suddenly rushed and placed on his back, handcuffed, and told if he made any noise he would be silenced by a ball. The door was closed. He was seen to have an injured foot wrapped up in rags. The man did not exhibit any alarm, but kept smiling and attempting to speak, and muttered 'You are after four bushrangers : you may catch three, but you will not get four.' He was again cautioned, and remained quiet, still with an amused expression of countenance.

The Inspector was puzzled, as the man did not exactly answer to any of the descriptions he held, but still he was found as a mate with them. The constables were placed so as to view through holes in the slabs all approaches to the hut. Morgan on his look-out gave a whispered notice that the horseman was approaching. He was allowed to fasten up his horse and open the door, when he was pounced upon and prevented from giving any alarm.

The Inspector informed him of the characters of the men he had employed, and that he had arrived with his men armed with warrants to arrest them as runaway convicts and murderers, and charged him to give his best assistance in taking the other three. "There," said the Inspector, "lies one of them already secured."

In answer to a question Mr. Bowden said "The man at the waterhole is not aware of your presence or business ; he will come in for his dinner shortly." Morgan soon gave notice that two men were approaching, one with a straw hat on, the other with a handkerchief on his head. Mr. Bowden said the man with the straw hat was the mate of the prisoner. This one on arriving at the hut stooped to wash his hands. The other man on opening the door was seized by Morgan and ordered to be quiet and the straw-hatted one before he could rise was thrown by the Inspector on his back and his arms pinioned, and before he could reach a weapon he had in his pocket was handcuffed by one of the other constables.

In one of his pockets was found in a leather case a razor blade, lashed to a piece of wood as a handle. Guards with their fire-arms in hand were placed over the other two men; to the last captured the Inspector said "I take you in custody as the man Lynch, charged in the warrant I hold as an escaped convict, and subsequently charged with murder."

The man was short and thick set, and in all respects tallied with the description sent of the desperado Lynch. The two prisoners were coupled together. The police party now took dinner with Mr. Bowden and the prisoners also had food offered them but sulkily refused to eat.

Mr. Bowden privately informed Mr. Tolmer that the other two men were fully armed, when he was called on by Mr. Tolmer to accompany the party and to assist in the capture. He displayed great reluctance, but he was compelled to start as guide; his excuse was that he required to go to his head station for a shovel. He was told he could take one from the hut they were leaving.

The bunks were examined for arms; one gun and a pistol were taken and discharged, and one dagger was found. Thus they started, Mr. Bowden leading on horseback, the prisoners being placed between the armed policemen. After a time the Inspector became aware that their course had been changed, as the sun was visible, and he expressed as much to Mr. Bowden, who said he was confused and had lost his way. On this he was asked if he could find his way back to the hut, and to that starting-place he brought the party back.

Now the Inspector demanded the exact direction to the new station, near the beach, on which the two men were at work, which being pointed out, Mr. Tolmer became the guide, and led the party by keeping the sun shining on their backs, and steered through patches of scrub and dwarf trees until he made the coast of the gulf.

He now asked Mr. Bowden if the place sought for was to the north or south? The answer was north; and in that direction they coasted, until a little before dusk they came to a swamp, when Mr. Bowden said the men were on the other end of the swamp, which it was decided to skirt, so as to keep out of the sight of the bushrangers, who were occupying a tent. The approaching party heard the sound of the men chopping wood. Mr. Bowden said they were cutting wood for the night.

Now Mr. Bowden was directed by Mr. Tolmer to canter his horse to the tent, making such a noise as to cover the approach of himself and two of the police, and to sing out to the men — "I have brought the shovel, but we have to be out early in the morning sheep-hunting, as some sheep have been lost."

He left the two prisoners handcuffed and coupled together in charge of Bold, Farrel, and Flogden, and before Mr. Bowden started, charged him if he departed in any way from the instructions he had given him some of their lives might be lost.

On his arriving at the hut he was to hobble out his horse, and act in his ordinary manner. On his starting off accordingly at a hand gallop the Inspector and two policemen rushed after him, and when he stopped they halted. They here planted their carbines, and depended only on their pistols, which were placed in the breast of their skirts. Mr. Bowden had been ordered to heap up the fire and to get one of the men to fry mutton-chops.

The Inspector and his men crept on their hands and knees until they reached the back of the tent. They had crawled on in single file — Inspector first, Morgan next, and South last — each having handcuffs unsprung. On closing on the tent, when the Inspector rose, his men were to rise, and on his raising his hand, to rush on and each seize a man, and depend on him, pistols in hand to save them.

They watched in the shade of the tent, and could see the men at the fire and hear the chops frying ; one of the bushrangers (Rogers) was fidgetting in lighting his pipe. The Inspector rose, rushed to the fire and capsized the frying pan. The police leaped in between the men and the tent, and closed with them as directed. Rogers, a most powerful man, could not be secured without the aid of the Inspector. Before he was overpowered he seized the Inspector's hand with his teeth, and continued his hold like a bulldog until he was struck with the muzzle of a pistol on his jaw. He left permanent marks of his teeth on the Inspector's hand.

These desperadoes being securely handcuffed and fastened, the Inspector then fired off a pistol, according to arrangement, to bring up the remainder of the party with their prisoners. The tent was then searched for firearms. Two single-barrelled guns were found, loaded, and carefully placed under the tarpaulin, so that at the least alarm they could be gained. These were discharged.

The two last men secured now began to indulge in the most horrid language, taunting the Inspector and his men with cowardice, in sneaking on them as they had done, adding, "Give us only five minutes and we will show you what we are made of."

They also swore deep vengeance against Bowden for leading the police to their capture, and continuing to utter such filthy and defiled language that to put a stop to it the Inspector threatened to gag them. They were also told that the Adelaide police when they went out to capture delinquents went with that intent, and not like some police in the older colonies, to give a chance of escape to such depredators as they were.

As the captives had become quiet Mr. Tolmer returned himself to meet the approaching party, occasionally firing a shot, and cooeying to guide and assure them. Not hearing any counter sounds he became anxious as to the prisoners and men whom he had left in charge of them. After proceeding some distance towards the end of the swamp he heard their approach. They explained to him that they had heard and answered his signals, but as the wind was strong in their faces their responses had not reached him.

Farrell was informed, in answer to his enquiry, that the other two men were secured and in safe custody, upon which the prisoner Lynch, who had not uttered a word since his capture, exclaiming "My God".

Upon reaching the camp, Rogers, who was the leader of the gang, remarked to the first prisoners taken as they they brought up; and placed beside himself and Riley, "Well, lads, here we are," which elicited no reply from Lynch, but produced the usual smile from the first captured man.

That there might be no chance of escape a large fire was kept up, and the entire party remained on guard the whole of the night, not one being allowed to take rest, although much needed, especially by the officer, as that made his third night without sleep.

About midnight Trooper Bold, who was the nearest sentry, observed some slight movement under the blankets which covered the four men, and drew the attention of the Inspector to it, when suddenly Rogers sprang up and attempted to escape ; but he was quickly recaptured, and the whole four were pinioned and their legs made fast. Rogers had freed himself from Biley, to whom he had been coupled.

After an early breakfast, the Inspector pressed Mr. Bowden with his cart and horse on the public service, and the four prisoners were placed in the cart. The course was along the cliffs towards Oyster Bay. Much trouble was occasioned by the jibbing horse, which occasionally rushed on and their suddenly stopped ; two of the prisoners, Rogers and Riley, were in consequence required to walk, guarded by Troopers Farrell, Morgan, and South; Trooper Bold, seated alongside of the driver, the Inspector and Flogden following behind on foot.

From the irregularity in the progress of the horse, the walking rear party were frequently left behind, and the Inspector had to wait until the men on foot came up. On one of these occasions Trooper Morgan called on the Inspector requesting a halt, and said — 'Please sir, Rogers asks for the use of a knife to ease the heel of his boot, which is hurting him. Upon one being handed to him he commenced to operate on his right boot to do so he had to lean down and forwards, and the prisoner Riley, being coupled to him, had also to do the same. Whilst the men were in this position, Morgan by signs called the Inspector's attention to Rogers; by this something wrong was suspected, and the two prisoners were ordered to rise, and were again placed in the cart, and were now covered by the carbines of the whole party.

At this time Morgan was able to explain to his officer that, when the prisoners were stooping, he overheard part of their whispered words. Rogers said, "Are you game?" Riley replied, "Yes."

When the prisoners were securely placed, heavily ironed, on board the cutter, the Inspector questioned Rogers what he meant by "Are you game ?" when he burst into a roar of laughter, saying, "Ah! you and your men had a narrow escape," and made the following confession.

But the exact position of the guards must be understood. Two policemen followed close to the two prisoners on foot with shouldered carbines and each a pistol in his breast ; two guards similarly armed at the cart ; Farrell without arms riding in front. The prisoners were handcuffed, the right hand of Riley to the left hand of Rogers. When a sudden halt was to be made the two prisoners were to wheel suddenly round and seize the pistols from the constables and shoot them, having closed on them so as to prevent the use of the carbines ; then they were to seize these pieces to dispatch two more of the party and secure their arms, so that if they had only partially succeeded there would have been bloodshed, and they as desperate men were prepared to sell their lives in a last bold attempt.

Rogers added — " If we had failed in gaining our liberty we should at least have had the satisfaction of revenge."

After a most weary journey Oyster Bay was reached, and the men were placed on board and between decks. After this Inspector Tolmer was greatly surprised by a sailor reporting himself as belonging to the whaler from which the escape had been made, who had been dispatched by the Government in a boat to meet him in order to assist in identifying the runaways.

The seaman was at once invited ta look down the skylight and tell what he would see. He approached with a show of reluctance, as a child looks down a deep black and unexplored hole. He no sooner caught sight of the men than he exclaimed — "Why there's Rogers, sir; that's Riley; that's Lynch ; and that's my old mate' (giving his name, which is forgotten). Upon this the Inspector ordered the senior constable, who was in charge below, to release the poor heavily-punished innocent man, who had been first a prisoner of old lags, and afterwards been hardly treated as a real delinquent to the awakened grief of the officer and his men.

The poor fellow, on being set free and brought on deck, could hardly utter a word, but resolutely smothering his feelings and shaking hands with his mate, burst out into thanks to God for his deliverance, and to the police for saving his life, as he said he had been for many days kept in fear that he would be put to death by the men below, by whom he had been hourly threatened by one or other of them, having often had a pistol or gun presented at his head, and with fearful oaths sworn at, that his life would be taken if he gave any hints as to their identity.

On the arrival of the cutter near the Semaphore a boat alongside the cutter was receiving the prisoners, and Riley, Lynch, and the police were in the boat, when the prisoner Rogers made a spring from the deck of the cutter into the boat with the intention of breaking through her bottom and so sink her and drown himself and some or perhaps all in the boat.

He was a very heavy man of a weight of over 14 stone, and very weightily ironed, but the bottom withstood the shock, which to himself must have been severe enough. Three such hardened and desperate men as these are fortunately a rarity.

The Government, fully aware of their characters, soon procured a ship in which to dispatch them to their doom in this life. They were for a short time lodged in the Adelaide Goal. Here they continued to boast of their horrid exploits when at large in Tasmania ; also gave a full and free account of the plans they had designed, if they had not been secured by our active police.

Some of these confessions will be given in a future number, as well as the descriptions the released sailor and his mates gave of the occurrences which took place after they were forced to desert with them from the whaler when at sea.