We went to bed early, leaving Smith to wake us at a suitable hour in the morning, which he promised to do, as he declared he felt too nervous to sleep.  Sure enough, daylight was just stealing along the eastern horizon when we were called and found a steaming pot of hot coffee upon the table, which the careful stockman had prepared for us previous to our leaving for the field.

We drank our coffee in solemn silence, and then started for the rendezvous, Smith carrying the rifles and ammunition, and uttering comments at every step at the folly of our proceedings.  Just as we locked the door, the old cracked bell upon the church, near the villa of our friend, struck the hour of four.  Finding that we had plenty of time, we walked along quite leisurely, meeting only a few people, and those longshoremen, who were hurrying to their work on the quays, and fearful of being late.

No one paid any attention to us, for the carrying of arms in Melbourne was common in those days; and so without remark we gained the crossing, and then continuing on for a short distance, entered an open space, far enough from the road to escape observation, and there awaited our adversaries.

We did not have to wait long.  A carriage containing three persons stopped within gunshot of where we stood, and presently we saw Merriam and his friend, and a short, fat gentleman in an undress uniform, carrying a small box under his arm, advance towards us.

Lieutenants Wattles and Merriam were smoking, and appeared perfectly cool and unconcerned regarding the result.  We heard the old gentleman, whom we presumed to be the surgeon, remonstrating at something that did not appear to please him, and from what we could overhear, we found that he disapproved of the use of cigars at so early an hour in the morning.

“Ah, the divil, smile, will ye, at what I say, but it’s poor Harris, of the thirty-sixth, who had cause to regret it.  A finer officer the queen never had; and yet he would disarrange his nerves by the use of tobacco at an early hour in the morning, and what was the consequence?  Killed at ten paces by a fellow who hardly ever saw a pistol before.  Its truth I’m spaking, and ye well know it.”

The doctor’s companions did not pay much attention to his remarks, for they continued to smoke perfectly unconcerned, and while they were advancing slowly towards us we could hear the Irish surgeon lecturing them for their want of generalship.

“It’s a pretty mess ye’re in now, and the devil thank ye.  The young fellows are on the ground afore us, and that don’t look like fear, and by the same token, they have got their murderous-looking instruments with them.  Bad luck to it, couldn’t ye manage somewhat differently than to want to fight two Americans, who were born wid rifles in their hands.”

Wattles made a reply, but it was too low and indistinct for us to hear, and the next moment the party were within speaking distance.