The Marines Who Were In The
Boats, Attempted In Vain To Keep Them Off.
If the fear of commencing
hostilities and being accused of barbarity had not checked M. de
Langle, he would
Unquestionably have ordered a general discharge of his
swivels and musketry, which no doubt would have dispersed the mob, but
he flattered himself that he could check them without shedding blood,
and he fell a victim to his humanity.
"Presently a shower of stones thrown from a short distance with as much
force as if they had come from a sling, struck almost every man in the
boat. M. de Langle had only time to discharge the two barrels of his
piece before he was knocked down; and unfortunately he fell over the
larboard bow of the boat, where upwards of two hundred natives
instantly massacred him with clubs and stones. When he was dead, they
made him fast by the arm to one of the tholes of the long boat, no
doubt to secure his spoil. The BOUSSOLE'S long-boat, commanded by M.
Boutin, was aground within four yards of the ASTROLABE'S, and parallel
with her, so as to leave a little channel between them, which was
unoccupied by the natives. Through this all the wounded men, who were
so fortunate as not to fall on the other side of the boats, escaped by
swimming to the barges, which, happily remaining afloat, were enabled
to save forty-nine men out of the sixty-one."
Amongst the wounded was Pere Receveur, priest, naturalist and
shoemaker, who later on died of his injuries at Botany Bay, and whose
tomb there is as familiar as the Laperouse monument.
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