Now the men were induced to take a hand, and there was talk of battle and pillage and sudden death.
Devoy, pugnacious and vengeful, provoked the first serious struggle.
Discovering a man of Cow Flat who claimed a small family of aggressive brown goats which he had marked out as the vandals that had wrought ruin amongst his well-kept beds, Devoy bearded the stranger and spoke of damages and broken heads, and his small son, Danny, a young Australian with a piquant brogue and a born love of ructions, moved round and incited him to bloodshed.
'Go fer him, daddy.

Sure, ye can lick him wid one hand, dear,' pleaded Danny.
'Yer dir-rty goats have ate me gar-rden, sor.

D'ye moind me now?
It's ruined me gar-rden is on me,' said Devoy aggressively.
'Hit him, daddy,' screamed Danny.
Devoy accepted the advice and struck the first blow.

The man from Cow Flat was very willing, and they fought a long, destructive battle; and through it all Danny danced about the ring, bristling with excitement and crying fierce and persistent encouragement to his sire.
'Let him have it, daddy!' 'Now ye have him!' 'Good on you, daddy!' 'Sure, you'll do him!' 'One round more, daddy, an' ye have him beat!' These phrases, and shrill inarticulate cries of applause and astonishment and joy, Danny reiterated breathlessly until his father was pronounced the victor; then he took the battered hero fondly by the hand and led him away to be bathed and plastered and bandaged by a devoted wife and mother.
The downfall of Devoy's opponent brought other champions from Cow Flat; there were open fights in Wilson's paddocks by day and assaults and sallies by night, and the bitterness deepened into hatred.

Waddy now resisted every attempt to carry off the stolen goats, and parties coming from Cow Flat by night were content with any animals they could lay their hands on; so for nearly a week the township was beset with alarums and excursions, and Jo Rogers, as its admitted champion, had more engagements on his hands than he could reasonably be expected to fulfil in a month.
Dickie and his accomplices were amazed at the developments, and watched the trouble grow with the greatest concern.