Ward went to the Mudgee area to work. There he met a girl named Mary Ann Bugg who had a convict father and aboriginal mother. Mary Ann fell pregnant soon afterwards. Ward took her back to her father's farm near Dungog and did not report to the Mudgee police on time. His ticket of leave was cancelled. When he reached the Mudgee police station, he was also arrested for stealing the horse he was riding. He was sent back to Cockatoo Island to finish his six years in gaol plus another three for the stolen horse. 