fellow, that you return as speedily as you may to the freedom and independence which this Colony offers you."
Among the warders, opposition disappeared the moment the gold band of the deputy's cap was seen under the Comptroller's foot. Among the convicts, disorder hid its wild head as soon as they realized that the blind system of work without reward had been replaced by one that made every day count for a hope not only of liberty, but independence.In a word, from that day the Colony ceased to be stagnant and began to progress.
Quite unconsciously he invested "Moondyne," not only with his own mental characteristics, but even with his physical features:
Moondyne, masquerading later on as Mr. Wyville, is still 0'Reilly, in person and dress:
Finally, Moondyne's prison number was "406," a number to which two or three odd coincidences had given a certain half-superstitious significance. I think it was the number borne by the author in one of his several prisons, but of this I am not sure. O'Reilly spoke of it more than once. It was the number of the room assigned him in the first hotel at which he stopped in America. Ten years later, on