I Have In Vain Tried To Stimulate Baneelon, Colbee,
And The Other Natives Who Live Among Us, To Bring In
The aggressor.
Yesterday, indeed, they promised me to do it, and actually went away
as if bent on such a
Design; but Baneelon, instead of directing his steps
to Botany Bay, crossed the harbour in his canoe, in order to draw the foreteeth
of some of the young men; and Colbee, in the room of fulfilling his engagement,
is loitering about the lookout house. Nay, so far from wishing even
to describe faithfully the person of the man who has thrown the spear,
they pretended that he has a distorted foot, which is a palpable falsehood.
So that we have our efforts only to depend upon; and I am resolved to execute
the prisoners who may be brought in, in the most public and exemplary manner,
in the presence of as many of their countrymen as can be collected,
after having explained the cause of such a punishment; and my fixed
determination to repeat it, whenever any future breach of good conduct
on their side shall render it necessary."
Here the governor stopped, and addressing himself to me, said if I could
propose any alteration of the orders under which I was to act, he would
patiently listen to me. Encouraged by this condescension, I begged leave
to offer for consideration whether, instead of destroying ten persons,
the capture of six would not better answer all the purposes for which
the expedition was to be undertaken; as out of this number, a part might
be set aside for retaliation; and the rest, at a proper time, liberated,
after having seen the fate of their comrades and being made sensible
of the cause of their own detention.
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