She was bailed up by the miscreants and scared out of her seven senses.

They demanded her money or her life, and she believed that it was their intention to leave her 'welterin' in her gore'; and having said as much she squared round upon the lawyer, arms akimbo and head thrown back, inviting him to come on to his inevitable destruction.
'Come, come, madam,' said the barrister, 'you must not tell us you imagined for a moment you were ever in any serious danger from these terrible fellows.' 'Mustn't! mustn't!' cried Mrs.Cox.

'An', indeed, why not, sir?
Who're you to tell me I musn't ?' Mrs.Cox stopped deliberately and carefully rolled up both sleeves of her dress.

Then, unhampered and in customary trim, she smote the cedar in front of her and cried: 'Mustn't, indeed! 'No offence, ma'am,' said the small lawyer in a conciliatory tone; 'no offence in the world.

Please explain what you did when attacked by the prisoners.' 'What' d I do?
First I said a prayer for me soul.' 'And then ?' 'And then I grabbed one o' the young imps, an' I--, Here Mrs.Cox's actions implied that she had a struggling bushranger in her grip.