Explore "Up the Country: A Saga of Pioneering Days" by Miles Franklin on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
A great babble followed their departure. The bail-up was judged to be a diggers' New Year night lark, led by the bushrangers. The number of men in digger apparel and the apologetic English voice seemed to suggest that some of the invaders, on seeing the refinement of the household, were ashamed of what they found themselves committed to and were anxious to cut it short.
But thrilling as the incident grew in retrospect to the women, it remained a galling affront to their men. A real robbery they could have borne with dignity, but this incident, they felt, lowered their prestige. They had been made to look ridiculous.