During the fifth year they had been at
large they suddenly disappeared from the
roads. They had not been seen, or heard of,
for so long that it was imagined they had
either made their escape from the colony, by
some extraordinary means, or that they had,
like some other bushrangers whose remains
were found, been lost in the bush, and perished
of hunger. Such, however, was not the case.
They had penetrated the interior to a
distance of fifty miles from Sydney, and
had located themselves at a place not very far
distant from a lofty mountain called Razorback,
in consequence of its peculiar shape.
Here they established themselves, built a
log-house, enclosed several acres of land,
which they cropped, and made a rather
extensive garden for the growth of vegetables.
They also built stock-yards and out-buildings
for the cattle and the horses of which they
possessed themselves. The luxuries of
convict life—such as tea, sugar, tobacco, spirits,
et cetera—they had, previous to their retirement
from business, stored up in very large
quantities. They had, moreover, taken with
them to their farm three convict women,
whom they had (nothing loth) carried away
from the services, respectively, of the persons
to whom they paid marauding visits.

They had taken away with them, from
the house of a settler whom they plundered,
a large black Newfoundland dog. Three
years and seven months after the dog
was stolen, he, one morning, to the
astonishment of his master, returned, jumped
about, and barked in an ecstacy of delight.
The master of the dog (a Mr. Sutter) was
afraid that the bushrangers, Fox, Pitt, and
Burke, were about to pay him a second visit;
and, summoning his servants, and arming
them, he laid in wait and in ambush for their
approach, determined to take them under
any circumstances, dead or alive. But the
bushrangers came not. From an examination
of the dog's neck, it was quite evident
that he had been kept continually on the
chain, and that he must have broken his
collar, and made his escape. Mr. Sutter, who
lived within five or six miles of Paramatta,
on the branch road to Liverpool, mounted
his horse, and had an interview with Mr.
Kherwin, the chief constable.

There could be no question that the dog
had broken loose, and found his old master;
but, then, by what road had he come back?
There was then no regular road beyond
Liverpool. Those who had settled further in
the interior had only their own bush tracks,
as they were called. If the dog, they thought,
could be put upon this track by his master,
no doubt he could be coaxed to show the
way to the abode of the bushrangers. It
suddenly occurred to Mr. Kherwin, that the
blacks, having no idea of the end in view,
would have no scruples in pointing out the
direction whence the dog had come, and
tracking him for five or six miles. This was
determined upon; and taking with him a
strong force, well armed, Mr. Kherwin
returned with Mr. Sutter to his farm, and
early on the following morning the expedition
set out. The blacks were not long in
finding the foot-prints of the dog, at some
distance from the house, and began to run
down the track at the rate of three or four
miles an hour. Mr. Sutter and the dog
accompanied the expedition. At noon there
was a halt for refreshment, and then the
pursuit was continued till evening, when the
camp was formed, fires lighted, and the arms
piled in readiness for any attack—not that
there was any danger of such a thing in that
lonely and untravelled region of the new
world. The dog, strange to say, appeared to
be very sulky, and showed no disposition to
render the slightest assistance. On the
following afternoon the blacks came upon the
imprint of a man's boot. They now began to
suspect the truth, but they had gone too far.
It was now a matter of compulsion, and not
of choice. Towards evening one of the blacks
from a considerable eminence pointed to some
smoke which was issuing from a valley in the
distance—a valley which was completely shut
in on three sides by small mountains, and
bounded on the fourth side by a clear and
broad stream of water. An enchanting nook,
as Mr. Kherwin described it to me. After
proceeding a few hundred yards in the direction
of the smoke, the barking of dogs was
audible and the lowing of cattle; and, ere
long, a house and outbuildings became
visible. Mr. Kherwin and Mr. Sutter then
deliberated as to whether they should
descend and commence the attack at once; or
whether they should defer the operation until
after nightfall, when they would most
probably have retired to rest; or whether the
attack should be delayed until the following
morning just before daybreak. It was
resolved, eventually, that while the daylight
remained they should creep down to the edge
of the valley, and there conceal themselves
until ten or eleven o'clock, when they would
march upon the abode, surround it, and call
to the inmates to come out and surrender.

This resolution was acted upon; but the
bushrangers' dogs had kept up such a loud
and incessant barking during the advance
of the invaders, that the trio had arisen
from their beds, lighted a candle, armed
themselves, and come outside the door.
Fox, Pitt, and Burke could be seen by the
light of the candle in the house; but they
could not see their enemy; for the night
was dark. Nothing could have been easier
than for Mr. Kherwin and his party to
have fired a volley and shot them as they
stood; but the chief constable could not
make up his mind to this; nor would Mr.
Sutter have seconded such a proposal. At
length Mr. Kherwin, when within only twenty
yards of them, called out, in a very loud
voice, "We are twelve in number: lay down