Robbery Under Arms · Chapter
XIII explained
Dick and Jim Marston, hiding in Melbourne after the great cattle robbery, enjoy a brief respite but are forced to flee when news of warrants for their arrest appears in the papers.
What happens
Dick and Jim Marston, hiding in Melbourne after the great cattle robbery, enjoy a brief respite but are forced to flee when news of warrants for their arrest appears in the papers. They leave behind their lovers, Kate Morrison and Jeanie Morrison, promising to return. The chapter explores Dick's reflections on Kate's dangerous ambition and Jim's simple affection for Jeanie, as the brothers head toward Sale and Omeo to find work and evade capture.
Themes in this chapter
Crime and Punishment
The constant threat of arrest and the psychological burden of living as wanted criminals dominate the chapter.
Love and Sacrifice
Dick and Jim's relationships with Kate and Jeanie are tested by the necessity of flight, highlighting the tension between love and survival.
Fate and Free Will
The brothers are forced to abandon their dreams of settling down, illustrating how their criminal past dictates their future.
Characters to notice
- Dick Marston
Narrator; reflects on his relationship with Kate Morrison and the danger of their situation.
- Jim Marston
Dick's brother; engaged to Jeanie Morrison, deeply affected by the forced departure.
- Kate Morrison
Dick's lover; ambitious, sharp, and hungry for wealth, she cross-examines Dick about their sudden departure.
- Jeanie Morrison
Jim's sweetheart; gentle and heartbroken at the separation.
- Captain Starlight
Mentioned as a known suspect; warrants are out for him as well.
- Warrigal
Mentioned as the half-caste who might not have been noticed during the cattle robbery.
Key passages
“We had to let Kate and Jeanie know the best way we could that our business required us to leave Melbourne at once, and that we shouldn’t be back till after Christmas, if then.”
They had to inform Kate and Jeanie that they needed to leave Melbourne immediately and might not return until after Christmas.
Shows the difficulty of explaining their sudden departure without revealing the truth.
“Kate Morrison could see that I had money. She thought I was rich, and she made up her mind to attract me, and go shares in my property, whatever it might be.”
Kate Morrison noticed Dick had money and decided to win him over to share in his wealth.
Reveals Dick's cynical view of Kate's motives and her ambitious nature.
“We couldn’t wash the tan off our skins; faces, necks, arms, all showed pretty well that we’d come from where the sun was hot, and that we’d had our share of it.”
Their sunburned skin and bushman appearance made them easily identifiable as men from the outback.
Highlights the physical markers that made them vulnerable to recognition.