were talking about this cowardly attack, when a detachment of said soldiers
came up again, and the officer, a regular incapable, that is, a bully,
with drawn sword began to swear at us, and called all of us a pack
of scoundrels. He was, however, soon put to rights, by the whole of us
then present offering ourselves to look out for the missing soldiers;
and eventually, one of them was discovered in a deserted tent, another
was found in a hole lower down the Warrenheip Gully, and so on.
This disgraceful occurrence, coupled with the firing of guns and pistols, kept
up the whole of the night, did not give us cheering hopes for the next day.




Chapter XXVI.



The Monster Meeting.


Bakery-hill, Wednesday, November 29th.


(Letter continued.)

"All the diggings round about were deserted, and swelled the meeting,
the greatest I ever witnessed in this Colony. At two o'clock there were
about ten thousand men present! The Report of the Deputation appointed
by the League to wait upon his Excellency, relative to the release
of the three prisoners, M`Intyre, Fletcher, and Yorkie, was listened to