第21章
Transactions of the Colony in the Beginning of September,1790.
The tremendous monster who had occasioned the unhappy catastrophe just recorded was fated to be the cause of farther mischief to us.
On the 7th instant,Captain Nepean,of the New South Wales Corps,and Mr.White,accompanied by little Nanbaree,and a party of men,went in a boat to Manly Cove,intending to land there,and walk on to Broken Bay.On drawing near the shore,a dead whale,in the most disgusting state of putrefaction,was seen lying on the beach,and at least two hundred Indians surrounding it,broiling the flesh on different fires,and feasting on it with the most extravagant marks of greediness and rapture.
As the boat continued to approach,they were observed to fall into confusion and to pick up their spears,on which our people lay upon their oars and Nanbaree stepping forward,harangued them for some time,assuring them that we were friends.Mr.White now called for Baneelon who,on hearing his name,came forth,and entered into conversation.He was greatly emaciated,and so far disfigured by a long beard,that our people not without difficulty recognized their old acquaintance.His answering in broken English,and inquiring for the governor,however,soon corrected their doubts.
He seemed quite friendly.And soon after Colbee came up,pointing to his leg,to show that he had freed himself from the fetter which was upon him,when he had escaped from us.
When Baneelon was told that the governor was not far off,he expressed great joy,and declared that he would immediately go in search of him,and if he found him not,would follow him to Sydney."Have you brought any hatchets with you?"cried he.Unluckily they had not any which they chose to spare;but two or three shirts,some handkerchiefs,knives,and other trifles,were given to them,and seemed to satisfy.Baneelon,willing to instruct his countrymen,tried to put on a shirt,but managed it so awkwardly,that a man of the name of M'Entire,the governor's gamekeeper,was directed by Mr.White to assist him.This man,who was well known to him,he positively forbade to approach,eyeing him ferociously,and with every mark of horror and resentment.He was in consequence left to himself,and the conversation proceeded as before.The length of his beard seemed to annoy him much,and he expressed eager wishes to be shaved,asking repeatedly for a razor.A pair of scissors was given to him,and he shewed he had not forgotten how to use such an instrument,for he forthwith began to clip his hair with it.
During this time,the women and children,to the number of more than fifty,stood at a distance,and refused all invitations,which could be conveyed by signs and gestures,to approach nearer."Which of them is your old favourite,Barangaroo,of whom you used to speak so often?"
"Oh,"said he,"she is become the wife of Colbee!But I have got 'bulla muree deein'(two large women)to compensate for her loss."
It was observed that he had received two wounds,in addition to his former numerous ones,since he had left us;one of them from a spear,which had passed through the fleshy part of his arm;and the other displayed itself in a large scar above his left eye.They were both healed,and probably were acquired in the conflict wherein he had asserted his pretensions to the two ladies.
Nanbaree,all this while,though he continued to interrogate his countrymen,and to interpret on both sides,shewed little desire to return to their society,and stuck very close to his new friends.On being asked the cause of their present meeting,Baneelon pointed to the whale,which stunk immoderately,and Colbee made signals,that it was common among them to cat until the stomach was so overladen as to occasion sickness.
Their demand of hatchets being re-iterated,notwithstanding our refusal,they were asked why they had not brought with them some of their own?
They excused themselves by saying,that on an occasion of the present sort,they always left them at home,and cut up the whale with the shell which is affixed to the end of the throwing-stick.
Our party now thought it time to proceed on their original expedition,and having taken leave of their sable friends,rowed to some distance,where they landed,and set out for Broken Bay,ordering the coxswain of the boat,in which they had come down,to go immediately and acquaint the governor of all that had passed.When the natives saw that the boat was about to depart,they crowded around her,and brought down,by way of present,three or four great junks of the whale,and put them on board of her,the largest of which,Baneelon expressly requested might be offered,in his name,to the governor.
It happened that his excellency had this day gone to a landmark,which was building on the South-head,near the flag-staff,to serve as a direction to ships at sea,and the boat met him on his return to Sydney.
Immediately on receiving the intelligence,he hastened back to the South-head,and having procured all the fire-arms which could be mustered there,consisting of four muskets and a pistol,set out,attended by Mr.Collins and Lieutenant Waterhouse of the navy.
When the boat reached Manly Cove,the natives were found still busily employed around the whale.As they expressed not any consternation on seeing us row to the beach,governor Phillip stepped out unarmed,and attended by one seaman only,and called for Baneelon,who appeared,but,notwithstanding his former eagerness,would not suffer the other to approach him for several minutes.