And war seemed his favourite pursuits; in both of which he had suffered
severely. His head was disfigured by several scars; a spear had passed
through his arm, and another through his leg. Half of one of his thumbs
was carried away; and the mark of a wound appeared on the back of his hand.
The cause and attendant circumstances of all these disasters, except one,
he related to us.
"But the wound on the back of your hand, Baneelon! How did you get that?"
He laughed, and owned that it was received in carrying off a lady
of another tribe by force. "I was dragging her away. She cried aloud,
and stuck her teeth in me."
"And what did you do then?"
"I knocked her down, and beat her till she was insensible,
and covered with blood. Then..."
Whenever he recounted his battles, "poised his lance, and showed how fields
were won", the most violent exclamations of rage and vengeance against
his competitors in arms, those of the tribe called Cameeragal in particular,
would burst from him. And he never failed at such times to solicit
the governor to accompany him, with a body of soldiers, in order that
he might exterminate this hated name.
Although I call him only Baneelon, he had besides several appellations,
and for a while he chose to be distinguished by that of Wolarawaree.
Again, as a mark of affection and respect to the governor, he conferred
on him the name of Wolarawaree, and sometimes called him 'Beenena' (father),
adopting to himself the name of governor. This interchange we found
is a constant symbol of friendship among them*. In a word, his temper
seemed pliant, and his relish of our society so great, that hardly any one
judged he would attempt to quit us, were the means of escape put within
his reach. Nevertheless it was thought proper to continue a watch over him.
[*It is observable that this custom prevails as a pledge of friendship
and kindness all over Asia, and has also been mentioned by Captain Cook
to exist among the natives in the South Sea Islands.]
CHAPTER VI.
Transactions of the Colony, from the Beginning of the Year 1790
until the End of May following.
Our impatience of news from Europe strongly marked the commencement
of the year. We had now been two years in the country, and thirty-two months
from England, in which long period no supplies, except what had been procured
at the Cape of Good Hope by the 'Sirius', had reached us. From intelligence
of our friends and connections we had been entirely cut off, no communication
whatever having passed with our native country since the 13th of May 1787,
the day of our departure from Portsmouth.
