At Parting, We Pressed Him To Appoint A Day On Which He Should Come To Sydney,
Assuring Him, That He Would Be Well Received, And Kindly Treated.
Doubtful,
however, of being permitted to return, he evaded our request, and declared that
the governor must first come and see him, which we promised should be done.
The governor did not hesitate to execute the engagement which we had contracted
for him. But Baneelon still resisted coming among us, and matters continued
in this fluctuating state until the 8th of October, when a fire,
which they had agreed to light as a signal for us to visit them, was observed.
The eager desire by which we were stimulated to carry our point of effecting
an intercourse had appeared. Various parties accordingly set out to meet them,
provided with different articles, which we thought would prove acceptable
to them. We found assembled, Baneelon, Barangaroo, and another young woman,
and six men, all of whom received us with welcome, except the grave looking
gentleman before mentioned, who stood aloof in his former musing posture.
When they saw that we had brought hatchets, and other articles with us,
they produced spears, fish-gigs, and lines, for the purpose of barter,*
which immediately commenced, to the satisfaction of both parties.
I had brought with me an old blunted spear, which wanted repair. An Indian
immediately undertook to perform the task, and carrying it to a fire,
tore with his teeth a piece of bone from a fish-gig, which he fastened
on the spear with yellow gum, rendered flexible by heat.
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