The Remittance Man by Ambrose Pratt — Read

The troopers whom Dr. Culgin had despatched in search of those mischievous persons who had scuttled Major Reay's cane punts, did not dare venture within the precincts of the striker's camp. Making a wide detour in order to escape the tents, they spread themselves out in a fan and scoured the countryside. Their object was to intercept and capture their quarry while returning to the camp. Their labor, however, was wasted; for the wreckers, after completing their appropriately midnight task, had grounded their borrowed steamer at Coraki and slipped ashore. Stolen horses waited them at an appointed hiding-place in a neighboring scrub, mounted upon which they had reached Ballina several hours before the account of their misdeeds was made known to their victims.

At dusk, the police, weary and disgusted, abandoned their fruitless mission and rode back towards the township, stopping at the "Folly" on their way to acquaint the Major with their failure. His rage may be better imagined than described. His last lingering hope was over, and he gave way to furious despair. The other members of the Employers' Association were with him, and the sympathy they offered was genuine enough, but the Major would have none of it. For a long while he stamped up and down the room storming and gesticulating, suffering none to address him and behaving otherwise like one bereft of reason.