Very Early In The Morning We Heard The Cooees Of The Natiyes, Who Seemed
Wailing, As If One Of Their Number Was Either Killed Or Severely Wounded:
For We Found Stains Of Blood On Their Tracks.
They disappeared, however,
very soon, for, on reconnoitring about the place, I saw nothing of them.
I interred the body of our ill-fated companion in the afternoon, and read
the funeral service of the English Church over him.
A large fire was
afterwards made over the grave, to prevent the natives from detecting and
disinterring the body. Our cattle and horses fortunately had not been
molested.
The cold wind from the southward continued the whole day; at night it
fell calm, and continued so until the morning of the 30th June, when a
strong easterly wind set in, which afterwards veered round to the north
and north-west.
Calvert and Roper recovered wonderfully, considering the severe injuries
they had received; and the wounds, which I feared as being the most
dangerous, promised with care and patience to do well. As it was
hazardous to remain long at the place, for the natives might return in
greater numbers, and repeat their attack, as well on ourselves as the
cattle, I determined to proceed, or at least to try if my wounded
companions could endure to be removed on horseback. In a case like this,
where the lives of the whole party were concerned, it was out of the
question to attend only to the individual feelings and wishes of the
patients; I felt for their position to the fullest extent that it was
possible for one to feel towards his fellow creatures so situated; but I
had equal claims on my attention.
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