His Intrepid Disregard
Of Personal Risk, Nay Of Life, Could Not However, But Gain Admiration;
Though It Led Us To
Predict, that this Baneelon, whom imagination had
fondly pictured, like a second Omai, the gaze of a court and the
Scrutiny
of the curious, would perish untimely, the victim of his own temerity.
To encourage his present disposition of mind, and to try if feelings
of compassion towards an enemy, could be exerted by an Indian warrior,
the governor ordered him to be taken to the hospital, that he might see
the victim of his ferocity. He complied in sullen silence. When about
to enter the room in which she lay, he appeared to have a momentary struggle
with himself, which ended his resentment. He spoke to her with kindness,
and professed sorrow for what he had done, and promised her future protection.
Barangaroo, who had accompanied him, now took the alarm: and as in shunning
one extreme we are ever likely to rush into another, she thought him perhaps
too courteous and tender. Accordingly she began to revile them both
with great bitterness, threw stones at the girl and attempted to beat her
with a club.
Here terminated this curious history, which I leave to the reader's
speculation. Whether human sacrifices of prisoners be common among them
is a point which all our future inquiry never completely determined.
It is certain that no second instance of this sort was ever witnessed by us.
CHAPTER XII.
Transactions of the Colony in Part of December, 1790.
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