To Appease Their
Importunity, The Governor Gave Them A Knife, Some Bread, Pork, And Other
Articles, And Promised That In Two Days He Would Return Hither,
And Bring With Him Hatchets To Be Distributed Among Them, Which Appeared
To Diffuse General Satisfaction.
Baneelon's love of wine has been mentioned; and the governor, to try whether
it still subsisted, uncorked a bottle,
And poured out a glass of it,
which the other drank off with his former marks of relish and good humour,
giving for a toast, as he had been taught, "The King."
Our party now advanced from the beach but, perceiving many of the Indians
filing off to the right and left, so as in some measure to surround them,
they retreated gently to their old situation, which produced neither alarm
or offence. The others by degrees also resumed their former position.
A very fine barbed spear of uncommon size being seen by the governor,
he asked for it. But Baneelon, instead of complying with the request,
took it away, and laid it at some distance, and brought back a throwing-stick,
which he presented to his excellency.
Matters had proceeded in this friendly train for more than half an hour,
when a native, with a spear in his hand, came forward, and stopped
at the distance of between twenty and thirty yards from the place where
the governor, Mr. Collins, Lieutenant Waterhouse, and a seaman stood.
His excellency held out his hand, and called to him, advancing towards him
at the same time, Mr. Collins following close behind. He appeared to be
a man of middle age, short of stature, sturdy, and well set, seemingly
a stranger, and but little acquainted with Baneelon and Colbee. The nearer
the governor approached, the greater became the terror and agitation
of the Indian. To remove his fear, governor Phillip threw down a dirk,
which he wore at his side. The other, alarmed at the rattle of the dirk,
and probably misconstruing the action, instantly fixed his lance
in his throwing-stick*.
[*Such preparation is equal to what cocking a gun, and directing it
at its object, would be with us. To launch the spear, or to touch the trigger,
only remains.]
To retreat, his excellency now thought would be more dangerous than to advance.
He therefore cried out to the man, Weeeree, Weeree, (bad; you are doing wrong)
displaying at the same time, every token of amity and confidence.
The words had, however, hardly gone forth, when the Indian, stepping back
with one foot, aimed his lance with such force and dexterity, that striking*
the governor's right shoulder, just above the collar-bone, the point
glancing downward, came out at his back, having made a wound
of many inches long. The man was observed to keep his eye steadily fixed
on the lance until it struck its object, when he directly dashed into the woods
and was seen no more.
[*His excellency described the shock to me as similar to a violent blow,
with such energy was the weapon thrown.]
Instant confusion on both sides took place.
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