They Seized The Governor's Cutter And Putting Into Her
A Seine, Fishing-Lines, And Hooks, Firearms, A Quadrant, Compass,
And Some Provisions, Boldly Pushed Out To Sea, Determined To Brave
Every Danger And Combat Every Hardship, Rather Than Remain Longer In A Captive
State.
Most of these people had been brought out in the first fleet,
and the terms of transportation of some of them were expired.
Among them were
a fisherman, a carpenter, and some competent navigators, so that little doubt
was entertained that a scheme so admirably planned would be adequately
executed*. When their elopement was discovered, a pursuit was ordered
by the governor. But the fugitives had made too good an use of the
intermediate time to be even seen by their pursuers. After the escape
of Captain Bligh, which was well known to us, no length of passage or hazard
of navigation seemed above human accomplishment. However to prevent future
attempts of a like nature, the governor directed that boats only of stated
dimensions should be built. Indeed an order of this sort had been issued
on the escape of the first party, and it was now repeated with
additional restrictions.
[*It was my fate to fall in again with part of this little band of adventurers.
In March 1792, when I arrived in the Gorgon, at the Cape of Good Hope,
six of these people, including the woman and one child, were put on board
of us to be carried to England. four had died, and one had jumped overboard
at Batavia. The particulars of their voyage were briefly as follows.
They coasted the shore of New Holland, putting occasionally into different
harbours which they found in going along. One of these harbours, in the
latitude of 30 degrees south, they described to be of superior excellence
and capacity. Here they hauled their bark ashore, paid her seams with tallow,
and repaired her. But it was with difficulty they could keep off the attacks
of the Indians. These people continued to harras them so much that they
quitted the mainland and retreated to a small island in the harbour,
where they completed their design. Between the latitude of 26 degrees and
27 degrees, they were driven by a current 30 leagues from the shore,
among some islands, where they found plenty of large turtles. Soon after
they closed again with the continent, when the boat got entangled in the surf
and was driven on shore, and they had all well nigh perished. They passed
rough the straits of Endeavour and, beyond the gulf of Carpentaria, found a
large freshwater river, which they entered, and filled from it their
empty casks.
Until they reached the gulf of Carpentaria, they saw no natives or canoes
differing from those about Port Jackson. But now they were chased by
large canoes, jitted with sails and fighting stages, and capable of holding
thirty men each. They escaped by dint of rowing to windward. On the
5th of June 1791 they reached Timor, and pretended that they had belonged
to a ship which, on her passage from Port Jackson to India, had foundered;
and that they only had escaped.
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