But Imeerawanyee Only Laughed; Nor Could
All The Anger And Reproaches Of The Other Prevail Upon Him To Do That
For One Of His Countrymen, Which He Cheerfully Continued To Perform
To Every Other Person.]
Baneelon finding he could not succeed, withdrew himself for two days.
At length he made his appearance, attended only by his wife.
Unmindful
of what had so recently happened, he marched singly up to the governor's house,
and on being refused admittance, though unarmed, attempted to force
the sentinel. The soldier spared him, but the guard was instantly sent for,
and drawn up in front of the house; not that their co-operation was necessary,
but that their appearance might terrify. His ardour now cooled, and he seemed
willing, by submission, to atone for his misconduct. 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.
On the 9th of the month, a sergeant of marines, with three convicts,
among whom was McEntire, the governor's gamekeeper (the person of whom
Baneelon had, on former occasions, shown so much dread and hatred) went out
on a shooting party. Having passed the north arm of Botany Bay,
they proceeded to a hut formed of boughs, which had been lately erected
on this peninsula, for the accommodation of sportsmen who wished to continue
by night in the woods; for, as the kangaroos in the day-time, chiefly keep
in the cover, it is customary on these parties to sleep until near sunset,
and watch for the game during the night, and in the early part of the morning.
Accordingly, having lighted a fire, they lay down, without distrust
or suspicion.
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