TRANSACTIONS AT PORT JACKSON
November 1790 to December 1790
-Fruits in season described.--The manners of the
natives.--Disputes with them.--Arrival of a vessel from
Batavia.-
The new moon, in the beginning of November, brought a few
hours thunder, and rain for a short time, which they still
continued greatly to want.
Several fruits peculiar to the country were now in season:
that which was supposed to be the fruit Captain Cook calls a
cherry, the natives call _mizooboore_; the taste of it is
insipid, and it differs little from another fruit similar in its
appearance, but something smaller, and which, as well as the
former, is found in great abundance: there is likewise a third
sort which differs as little in appearance and taste. Though
there is little variety either in the shape or taste of the
fruits just mentioned, yet, it is very remarkable that the trees
on which they grow are of very different kinds.
The fruits, or berries, just mentioned, have so insipid a
taste, that they are held in very little estimation by our
colonists; but that is not the case with the acid berry, which is
about the size of a currant, and grows on a tree, the leaves of
which resemble the broom: the acid of this fruit, even when ripe,
is very strong, and is, perhaps, the purest in the world: it is
pleasant to the taste, and Governor Phillip found it particularly
so when on a journey in hot weather: the surgeon held it in great
estimation as an antiscorbutic; and, with a large proportion of
sugar, it makes excellent tarts and jellies.
There is also another fruit, which, when ripe, is of a
transparent red colour, about the size of a currant, and shaped
like a heart: it has an agreeable flavour, leaving an astringency
on the palate, and cannot be otherwise than wholesome, as the
settlers had ate great quantities of it at times, without any
pernicious consequences.
There is likewise a nut, which had violent effects on those
who ate it unprepared: the natives soak it in water for seven or
eight days, changing the water every day; and at the expiration
of that time they roast it in the embers; but the kernel is taken
out of the hard shell with which it is enclosed, previous to its
being put into the water: it is nearly equal to the chesnut in
goodness.
-Boorong_, the native girl who had lived with the
clergyman, returned to him again, after a week's absence: some
officers had been down the harbour, and she was very happy to
embrace that opportunity of getting from the party she had been
with. By her own account, she had joined the young man she wished
to marry, and had lived with him three days; but he had another
wife, who the girl said was jealous, and had beat her; indeed,
evident marks of this appeared about her head, which was so
bruised as to require the surgeon's attention: in return for this
unkind treatment, it seems her favourite had beat his wife.
But opportunities were not now wanting to show that the women
are in general treated very roughly; for Colebe brought his wife
to visit Governor Phillip, and though she was big with child, and
appeared to be within a very few days of her time, there were
several wounds on her head, which she said he had lately given
her: he seemed to be pleased that she could show her marks, and
took some pains to inform the governor that he had beat her with
a wooden sword.
Early in the morning of the 13th of November, sixteen of the
natives visited the settlement, and some fish being distributed
amongst them, they made a fire in the governor's yard, and sat
down to breakfast in great good humour: those that were
strangers, appeared highly delighted with the novelties that
surrounded them. Amongst the strangers, there was a woman whose
skin, when free from dirt and smoke, was of a bright copper
colour; her features were pleasing, and of that kind of turn,
that had she been in any European settlement, no one would have
doubted her being a Mulatto Jewess.
Bannelong, who had been for two days with some of his party at
Botany-Bay, came along with these people and brought his wife
with him: she appeared to be very ill, and had a fresh wound on
her head, which he gave Governor Phillip to understand she had
merited, for breaking a fiz-gig and a throwing stick. The
governor's reasoning with him on this subject had no effect; he
said she was bad, and therefore he had beat her; neither could it
be learned what inducement this woman could have to do an act
which she must have known would be followed by a severe beating;
for Bannelong either did not understand the questions put to him,
or was unwilling to answer them. When these people had finished
their breakfast, they all went to the hospital to get the womens'
heads dressed; for besides Bannelong's wife, a woman who was a
stranger, had received a blow on the head, which had laid her
scull bare.
After this business was over, most of them returned and sat
down in the yard at the back of Governor Phillip's house; but
Bannelong went into the house as usual, and finding the governor
writing, sat down by him: he appeared very much out of humour,
and frequently said that he was going to beat a woman with a
hatchet which he held in his hand: it was impossible to persuade
him to say he would not beat her, and after some time he got up,
saying that he could not dine with the governor, as he was going
to beat the woman.
Governor Phillip then insisted on going with him, to which he
made no objection, though he was given to understand that he
would not be suffered to beat any woman, and they set off for his
hut at the point. The governor took his orderly serjeant along
with him, and they were joined by the judge advocate.
Though Bannelong had frequently said he would kill the woman,
when Governor Phillip was endeavouring to persuade him not to
beat her, yet, it could not be believed that he had any such
intention; nor did they suppose there would be much trouble in
preventing his beating her; however, fearing he might strike her
a blow with the hatchet which must have been fatal, it was taken
from him before they got to the hut, and as he seemed unwilling
to part with it, the governor gave him his cane; but his
expressions and his countenance soon made them think even the
cane too much for him to be trusted with, and that was taken from
him also.
On their arrival at the hut, they found five men, two youths,
and several women and children: some of these people were on the
grass before the door of the hut, and though the governor fixed
his eyes on Bannelong, in order to find out the object of his
revenge, and whom he determined to protect, yet this furious
savage seized a wooden sword, and struck a young female, who was
either asleep, or seeing him coming had hid her face, over the
head, and repeated his blow before the weapon could be wrested
from him; he then got a hatchet, which was likewise taken
away.
Reasoning with him was now out of the question; the savage
fury which took possession of him when he found himself kept from
the girl, who was lying senseless, is not to be described: he had
now got another wooden sword, but the judge-advocate and the
serjeant held him, and what passed being observed from the
Supply, Lieutenant Ball and the surgeon of the hospital, came
over to the spot armed, and the poor girl was put into the boat
without any opposition on the part of the natives, who had armed
themselves the moment they saw Governor Phillip and his party
interfere, and one of them repeatedly pressed him to give
Bannelong the hatchets and sword which had been taken from
him.
None of these people, either men or women, (the two youths
excepted, who appeared to be much frightened,) showed the least
concern at the girl's fate, though they must have known, that
Bannelong intended to kill her, and they certainly armed in his
defence.
When the boat was gone off with the girl, our party returned
to the governor's house, several of the native men and boys
joining them, as well as Bannelong; and, after some time, when
his passion began to subside, Governor Phillip gave him to
understand, that he was exceedingly angry with him for attempting
to kill a woman, and tried to divert him from his purpose by
threats, telling him that if he did kill her, or even beat her
any more, he should lose his life; but threats had no greater
effect than entreaties, and all his answers showed that he
thought himself greatly injured by having his victim taken from
him; saying that she was his, that her father was the man who had
wounded him over the eye, that all their tribe were bad, and that
the governor should see he would kill her; and when the
judge-advocate reasoned with him, and told him that if he killed
the girl the governor would kill him, he marked with his finger
those parts of the head, breast, and arms, where he said he would
wound her, before he cut her head off: in this resolution he went
away, and the girl was removed in the evening from the Supply to
Governor Phillip's house, where a young man who lived with
Bannelong desired to remain with her, and, from the tenderness he
showed her when Bannelong was not present, was supposed to be her
husband; though he had not dared to open his lips, or even to
look dissatisfied, when her life was in danger.
Several of the natives came to see this girl, and (except the
supposed husband) they all appeared very desirous that she might
return to the hut, though they must have known that she would be
killed; and, what is not to be accounted for, the girl herself
appeared desirous of going.
After an absence of two days, Bannelong returned to the
governor's house, apparently in good humour, and said he would
not beat the girl; at the same time he gave them to understand,
that he had again beat his wife about the head, and that he had
received a severe blow on the shoulder from a club in return; on
this, Governor Phillip proposed their going to the hospital to
have his own shoulder and his wife's head drest, but this he
refused, saying, that White (the surgeon) would shoot him, and
that he durst not sleep in the house which had been built for
him, as the surgeon would shoot him in the night.
This story was not told without many threats on his part; and
during the recital, he twice went out to fetch a spear, which the
governor had made him leave in a back room, in order to show that
he was not afraid, and that he would use it if he saw the
surgeon; however, Governor Phillip soon convinced him that he was
not to be shot unless he killed the girl, or threw spears at the
white men. The moment Bannelong was satisfied that the surgeon
was still his friend, he said he would go to him for a plaister
for his shoulder, and another for his wife's head; but, as the
governor wished to be present when they first met, he sent for
the surgeon, whom Bannelong received as usual, gave him part of
what he was eating, and went with him to the hospital; after
which, he went to the surgeon's house, and the girl being there
to whom he had lately shown so much animosity, he took her by the
hand, and spoke to her in a friendly manner.
But this attention so exasperated his wife, and put her in
such a rage, that those who were present at the time could not,
without some difficulty, prevent her from knocking the girl on
the head with a club which she had taken from one of the men for
that purpose; nor did her husband seem inclined to prevent her
till he was spoke to, when he gave her a pretty smart slap on the
face; on this, his wife left them crying with passion, and came
over to the governor's house, where the girl was now brought for
greater security, and was followed by several men.
Governor Phillip had ordered the girl to be put into his maid
servant's room, with which Bannelong seemed pleased, and desired
him to let the young man who had remained with her at the
surgeon's, stay there likewise; in the mean time, his wife was
very noisy, and used many threats; she had got her husband's
spears, which she sat down upon, and would not give them up to a
soldier, whom the governor had ordered to take them from her,
until force was used; and when the soldier had them, Bannelong
wanted to take them from him, saying he would give them to the
governor: they were then delivered to him, and he immediately
gave them to Governor Phillip, making signs for them to be put
into the house: this, at a time when there was a guard of
soldiers drawn up in the yard, and when he was telling his
companions, that the soldiers would fire, showed that he placed
some confidence in the governor; though at the same time, he was
very violent, and appeared very much inclined to use his club
against those who prevented his going into the house; and one of
the natives who was generally his companion, seemed ready to
support him in any attempt he might be disposed to make.
On this they were given to understand, that if any of the
soldiers were struck, they would be put to death, and Governor
Phillip immediately ordered them all to be turned out of the
yard, except Bannelong and the young man he had desired might
remain with the girl: Bannelong's wife was turned away amongst
the rest, but this did not prevent his staying to dinner, and
behaving with the same indifference as if nothing had passed;
and, in the evening when he was going away, a scene took place
which was little expected: the young man who had been so desirous
of remaining with the girl, would now go away, and the girl
cried, and forced her way out of the room to go with Bannelong:
she was brought in again, and told if she went away she would be
beat, but Bannelong said he would not beat her, neither was his
wife angry with her now; and the young man pressed Governor
Phillip very much to let her go, saying Barangaroo would not beat
the girl, as her passion was over, and she was now very good.
As the information of Barangaroo's anger having so entirely
subsided, could only have been brought by a boy, who had returned
to the house in the afternoon, the governor was not the least
inclined to let the girl go away; but there was no possibility of
detaining her unless she was confined, and there appeared so much
sincerity in Bannelong's countenance, when he said she should not
be beat, that leave was given, and the moment the girl was
without the gate, she ran towards Bannelong's hut, without
waiting for those who were going along with her.
Governor Phillip himself was fully persuaded that Bannelong
would keep his word, but the general opinion was, that the girl
would be sacrificed; and in the evening, a considerable number of
natives being seen about the hut, gave rise to various stories;
but the next day, Bannelong came to dinner, and said, he had sent
the girl to her father, which was afterwards confirmed by
others.
How Bannelong got this girl into his possession could not be
learnt; but it appeared she was the same girl whom he went to
look after when he ran away from the settlement: she appeared to
be about fifteen years of age, and when she went away, her wounds
were in a fair way of doing well: fortunately for her, the weapon
which had first presented itself when Bannelong beat her, was a
boy's wooden sword, and made of very light wood; but these people
pay little attention to wounds, and even those which by the
faculty are deemed dangerous, do not seem to require the common
attention of closing the lips of the wound and keeping it clean;
this shows that they must be of a most excellent habit of
body.
Governor Phillip having occasion to go to Rose-Hill, Bannelong
said he would accompany him: accordingly they set out, and
stopped at the point, in order to take Barangaroo into the boat;
but she refused, and persuaded her husband not to go. On the
governor's return to Sydney, he was informed that this party had
been lamenting the loss of a brother, who had been killed by one
of the Cammeragals: the women were crying in the usual manner,
but their grief was not of long duration, and Bannelong went to
breakfast with some officers, who, hearing the womens' cries, had
gone to the hut to learn the cause; and as they were going down
the harbour to look after a small boat belonging to the hospital,
which had been lost, with five convicts, he desired them to land
him on the north shore, in order, it was supposed, to collect all
his friends, and revenge his brother's death.
However, he was seen soon afterwards with some of the
Cammeragals, who were collecting the wild fruits which were now
in season; so that he must have been misunderstood as to his
intention of fighting with the Cammeragals; nor can we account
for his being frequently with a tribe whom he always spoke of as
bad, and desired Governor Phillip to kill; and what was equally
mysterious, a man belonging to the Botany-Bay tribe had for more
than a fortnight slept at his hut, though he said the man was
bad, and spoke of him as his enemy.
The party who went in search of the boat found the wreck of
her, and one of the bodies; as the boat had been seen under sail
when it blew hard, it should seem that the men sent in her did
not know how to manage her, and were driven on the rocks. Several
natives assisted in saving the oars and other articles that were
driven ashore; and Colebe, who was on the spot, exerted himself
greatly on this occasion, and saved the seine, which was
entangled amongst the rocks: for these services, they were all
rewarded with blankets and some cloathing.
But, however well you may cloath these people, they generally
return naked the next day. Of all the cloaths and the
multiplicity of other articles which had been given to Bannelong,
very little now remained in his possession; his shield, and most
of his cloaths, were, by his own account, sent a great distance
off; but whether he had lost them, or given them away, was
uncertain.
In the evening of the 21st of November, Bannelong and his wife
came to Sydney, and he requested leave to sleep in Governor
Phillip's house, as there were a great number of people at
-Tubow-gule_, the point on which their hut stood. Bannelong
told the governor, that the Cammeragals had killed his
-friend_, or _relation_, for we are not clear that
these words in their language, which had been supposed to mean
Father or Brother, are made use of by the natives in that sense:
he said, they had burnt his body, which he seemed to lament; and
being told, that Governor Phillip would take the soldiers and
punish them, he prest him very much to go and kill them: indeed,
from the first day he was able to make himself understood, he was
desirous to have all the tribe of Cammeragal killed, yet he was
along with that tribe when Governor Phillip was wounded, and, as
hath already been observed, was seen with them since the loss of
his friend, or brother.
After Bannelong and his wife had supped they retired to sleep
in a back room, and he was particularly anxious for the governor
to lock the door and put the key in his pocket; from which
circumstance, it is probable he had other reasons for coming that
evening to sleep at the governor's house, besides that of having
a number of people at his own habitation.
When Governor Phillip's guests left him, the girl who lived
with the clergyman went away with them, and slept at their hut,
nor would she probably have returned till she was compelled by
hunger, or had received a beating; but being seen the next
morning in a canoe, fishing, she very readily returned with the
person who had been sent to look after her.
Many of the small streams of water in different parts of the
harbour were dried up, and at Sydney, the run of water was small,
but it afforded sufficient for the use of the settlement; nor was
there any reason to suppose they would ever want water. At
Rose-Hill, the settlers never can be under any apprehensions on
that head, and though from the stream being small in dry weather,
the water has an unpleasant taste, occasioned by a number of dead
trees falling into the brook, yet that may be prevented
hereafter: it will also be necessary, at some future period, to
make a dam across the creek, in order to prevent the tides making
the water brackish at the lower part of it: when that is done, it
will not be a difficult matter to carry a run of water at the
back of those houses which are situated at the greatest distance
from the brook.
A new store at Rose-Hill, which the workmen had been building
for some time past, was tiled in on the 25th of November, and a
barrack of the same dimensions (100 feet by 24 feet 6 inches) was
immediately begun. At the latter end of the month, the weather
was unsettled, with frequent showers of rain: most of the barley
was now ripe, and they began to house it. The 3d of December was
a day of constant rain, which continued during the night.
Governor Phillip had recently ordered a small hut to be built
for his own accommodation at Rose-Hill, and he was going to
remain there a few days, when several of the natives were
desirous of accompanying him, amongst whom were Bannelong and
Colebe: the governor got into his boat with three of them, and
Bannelong, going to fetch his cloak, was detained by his wife;
however, as they were going out of the cove, he appeared on the
rocks, and got into the boat notwithstanding her threats; but,
the moment the boat put off, she went to her canoe, which was a
new one, and after driving her paddles through the bottom, she
threw them into the water, and afterwards went off to their hut,
probably to do more damage. The husband had endeavoured to pacify
her, and promised several times not to be absent more than one
night; as it was likely that he would prefer remaining behind,
though he appeared unwilling to ask to be landed, it was proposed
to him, and after picking up the paddles which his wife had
thrown away, he was put on shore.
The governor then proceeded to Rose-Hill, with Colebe and two
other natives, none of whom ever opened their lips during this
altercation: indeed, none of these people have ever been seen to
interfere with what did not immediately concern themselves.
The three natives slept that night at Rose-Hill, and though
fed very plentifully, yet, the next morning, they were very
desirous of returning; on this, Governor Phillip sent the boat
down with them, on the return of which he fully expected to hear
that mistress Barangaroo's head was under the care of the
surgeon; but, to his great surprise, both she and her husband
came up in the boat the next morning, and Bannelong said he had
not beat her; but whether he was deterred by what had so
frequently been said to him on the subject, or from some other
cause, could not be known: however, a reconciliation had taken
place, and they both dined with the governor in great good
humour. Every thing this couple wished for was given them, and
they had both fish and _baggaray_; but after dinner was
over, the lady wanted to return, and Bannelong said she would cry
if she was not permitted to go; so that late in the afternoon,
the governor was obliged to send the boat down with them.
It is rather singular that none of the natives like Rose-Hill,
probably because fish is seldom procured there: both Arrabannu
and Bannelong, whilst they lived with Governor Phillip, always
appeared to dislike going there, and after the first day, would
be continually pressing him to return to Sydney.
Lieutenant Ball, who commanded the Supply, had been ill for
some time; and when Governor Phillip returned from Rose-Hill on
the 11th of December, the surgeon informed him that there were
little hopes of Mr. Ball's recovery: at the same time he was
told, that his game-keeper had been brought in so dangerously
wounded by a spear, that there was little probability of saving
his life.
It seems the game-keeper went out with three others, one of
whom was a serjeant; and in the heat of the day, they retired to
a hut which they had made with boughs, and went to sleep. One of
them waking, and hearing a noise in the bushes, supposed it to be
some animal; but on their coming out of the hut, four natives
jumped up from amongst the bushes and ran away: the game-keeper,
supposing one of them to be a man who had been at Sydney, as he
appeared to have been shaved and his hair cut, followed them
without his gun, (though the most positive orders had been given
for no one ever to join the natives unarmed) calling on them to
stop, and he would give them some bread; and observing that one
of those who followed him from the hut had a gun in his hand, he
bid him lay it down, saying, that the natives would not hurt
him.
The game-keeper had now advanced forty or fifty yards before
his companions, and was not more than ten yards from one of the
natives, who stopped; and getting on a tree which had been burnt
down, and was lying on the ground, he surveyed those who
approached him: in a moment he found they were unarmed, so,
fixing his spear, he threw it at the man who was nearest to him:
the spear entered on the left side, and penetrated the lower lobe
of the lungs: it was barbed, and consequently could not be
extracted till a suppuration took place. Immediately after
throwing the spear, the native fled, and was soon out of sight of
the man who followed him.
As they were eleven miles from Sydney when this accident
happened, it was not without some difficulty that the unfortunate
game-keeper could be brought in after his strength failed him: he
was of the catholic persuasion, but on being brought to the
hospital, he desired to have the clergyman sent for, to whom he
confessed that he had been a bad man, and desired his prayers;
but, at the same time, he declared that he had never killed or
wounded any native, except once; when, having had a spear thrown
at him, he discharged his piece, which was loaded with small
shot, and possibly wounded the man who threw the spear.
This declaration, made at the time he requested the surgeon
not to attempt taking out the spear, until he had asked pardon of
his God, whom, he said, he had often offended, added to the
testimony of those who were with him, left no room to doubt that
the native had taken the advantage of their being unarmed,
without having received any kind of provocation.
The natives had been frequently told, that numbers of them
would be killed if they continued to throw spears; and both
Bannelong and the girl who lived with the clergyman had
repeatedly said, that the tribes which resided about Botany-Bay
and the inland parts near the head of that harbour, always killed
the white men; yet, as it was evident that they had generally
received some provocation on the part of our settlers, Governor
Phillip was unwilling to proceed to extremities whilst there was
a possibility of avoiding it: many of the natives had recently
visited the settlement; they had all been well received, and some
of their children frequently remained there for several days,
without their parents ever seeing them; and if any of them were
going where their children would be an incumbrance, they used to
leave them at Sydney.
Bannelong, Colebe, and two or three others, now lived at
Sydney three or four days in the week, and they all repeatedly
desired those natives might be killed who threw spears; at the
same time, Governor Phillip began to suspect, though very
unwillingly, that there was a great deal of art and cunning in
Bannelong; he had lately been at Botany-Bay, where, he said, they
danced, and that one of the tribe had sung a song, the subject of
which was, his house, the governor, and the white men at Sydney:
the people of that tribe, he said, would not throw any more
spears, as they and the Cammeragals were all friends, and were
good men; this was only a few days after he had said that he
liked his house at the point, because the Botany-Bay men and the
Cammeragals would not come to it on account of the white men; and
had, as usual, whenever those tribes were mentioned, requested
the governor to kill them all.
The game-keeper was well known to those natives who frequented
Sydney, and when they saw him at the hospital, they expressed
great marks of sorrow, all the women and several of the men
shedding tears. Colebe, who, it seems, understood the nature of
wounds, and their method of drawing teeth, said, that the spear
must remain for some time before it was drawn out, as it was
barbed: at the same time he made signs that the man would
die.
It appeared rather extraordinary that the natives should
immediately know the man who wounded the game-keeper, and his
tribe; they said, his name was _Pemullaway_, of the tribe of
-Bejigal_, and both Colebe and Bannelong promised to bring
him to the settlement; but the former, after remaining at Sydney
that night and part of the next day, went off, as was supposed,
to Botany-Bay; and Governor Phillip going down the harbour, in
consequence of a number of natives being seen armed at the
look-out, found Colebe there, who returned to Sydney the next
day, did not seem inclined to give himself any trouble about
Pemullaway, but left the governor's house after dinner, to go, as
he said, to his wife, who was at Botany-Bay. Bannelong had not
appeared for some days; he was said to be gone to assist at the
ceremony of drawing the front tooth from some young men, and as
he went to the district in which the Cammeragals reside, there
can scarcely be a doubt but that the tooth is paid as a
tribute.
The native girl who lived with the clergyman, had left his
house some time, and now resided with the Cammeragals: on going
away, she promised to return with the young man she wanted to
marry, and his present wife; from which circumstance it seems
pretty clear, that when a native can procure two women, the
custom of the country allows them to have two wives; and there is
some reason to suppose that most of their wives are taken by
force from the tribes with whom they are at variance, as the
females bear no proportion to the males.
It became absolutely necessary to put a stop to the natives
throwing spears, against which it was impossible to guard in
going through the woods, and Governor Phillip wished to do it
with as little severity as possible; yet he was well convinced
that nothing but a severe example, and the fear of having all the
tribes who resided near the settlement destroyed, would have the
desired effect: for this purpose, a party were sent out on the
14th of December, consisting of two captains, two lieutenants,
four noncommissioned officers, and forty privates: the surgeon,
and a surgeon's mate belonging to the Sirius, went with the
party, and the three persons who were with the game-keeper when
he was wounded, went as guides.
The governor's motive for sending so large a party was, that
if a number of the natives should be found together, they might
be deterred from making any resistance, or attempting to rescue
those who might be secured as prisoners.
The officer who commanded this party was directed to proceed
to the spot where the game-keeper had been wounded, and to search
for the natives in that part of the country; six of whom were to
be secured and brought in as prisoners; or if that was found
impracticable, six of them were to be put to death; spears, and
all other weapons which they happened to meet with, were to be
destroyed and left on the ground, that the natives might see it
was intended as a punishment inflicted on them; particular
attention was also to be paid to the women and children, who were
not to be injured on any account whatever; and, as Governor
Phillip wished to impress the natives with an idea that no deceit
was ever used, and that they might always depend on having
protection after it had been once offered; on this occasion, none
of the party were ever to hold up their hands, (which, amongst
the natives, is a signal that they come as friends) nor to answer
that sign of friendship if made to them.
It was more than probable that the man who threw the spear
would not be found, though Colebe had said he might easily be
known by the toes of his left foot having been bruised with a
club; and there was reason to fear that the innocent might
suffer; but the natives had lately behaved with a boldness and
insolence on several occasions, which it was absolutely necessary
to check, and the punishments inflicted on a few, would, in the
end, be an act of mercy to numbers.
A suppuration taking place in the game-keeper's wound, the
spear was taken out; it was armed with small pieces of red stone,
and had penetrated seven inches and an half into his body, though
the point was broke off by striking against a rib: from this
circumstance, some judgment may be formed of the force with which
these spears are thrown. They generally are armed for seven or
eight inches from the point, with small bits of sharp stone,
bone, or shells; and, since our settling amongst them, bits of
glass bottle: these are fixed on with the yellow gum, which is
softened by fire, and afterwards grows hard and firm, making a
very good cement; this the natives also use to stop the leaks in
their canoes.
The spear with which the game-keeper was wounded, being shown
to one of the natives, he immediately named the tribe to whom it
belonged; which shows that some of them arm their weapons
differently from others, and that they are all marked; this, as
they have no places to secure them in, effectually prevents their
robbing one another.
The party who had been sent out in search of the natives,
returned on the 17th of December, without being able to get near
any of them, as they all fled at their approach, and eluded their
pursuit. They found Colebe near the head of Botany-Bay, where he
was striking fish, and ran some risk of being shot.
The same afternoon, the vessel arrived which had been hired at
Batavia to bring provisions to the colony, having been
eighty-eight days on her passage, and buried sixteen of her
crew.
In the evening of the 22d, a party were again sent out towards
the head of Botany-Bay; they were to endeavour to secure some of
the natives, and had the same orders as were given before on that
head. They left the parade in the evening, and hopes were
entertained that they would be able to surprize some of the
natives at their fires; but they did not see a single inhabitant
during two days which they remained out.
Colebe had left his wife at Botany-Bay, and she came over to
Sydney on the 23d of December, bringing an infant with her not
more than two or three days old; the child was laid on a piece of
bark, and both the parents appeared to treat it with great
tenderness: they took up their residence for that night in
Governor Phillip's house, and a family, who accompanied Colebe's
wife, gave an opportunity of observing, that the marriage
ceremony in this country, whatever it may be, is not very
binding: this man belonged to the tribe who reside about
Botany-Bay, but he had occasionally lived at Sydney for some time
past, and a woman whose name was _Mawberry_, had been his
wife; but, it seems, he had broke her arm with beating her, and
had turned her away; and he had got another woman for a wife, who
came along with him, bringing also a child about three years of
age. Mawberry, his first wife, happened to be at the governor's
house when he came in, and did not seem pleased at the
meeting.
This man, with his wife and child, after remaining at Governor
Phillip's two days, were going away; and, as usual, had bread and
fish given them for their journey; but, it should seem, that they
could not agree, for he took away his first wife, and left the
woman and child who came along with him behind. The poor woman
shed tears when Governor Phillip enquired into the matter, and,
after repeatedly using the word _yalloway_, which is a term
of execration, she said she would live with his servants, which
she was permitted to do.
Besides this person, Governor Phillip had a further addition
to his family of a young woman, who for some time had been
desirous of being received amongst his maid servants, and a youth
about fourteen years of age, both of whom appeared much pleased
with their situations.
The weather was so intensely hot on the 27th of December, that
the thermometer stood at 102° in the shade.