His Vivacity And Good Humour Continued
All The Evening, And Produced So Good An Effect On His Appetite,
That He Ate For Supper Two Kangaroo Rats, Each Of The Size Of
A Moderate Rabbit, And In Addition Not Less Than Three Pounds Of Fish.
Two days after he was taken on a similar excursion; but to our surprise
the natives kept aloof, and would neither approach the shore, or discourse
with their countryman:
We could get no explanation of this difficulty,
which seemed to affect us more than it did him. Uncourteous as they were,
he performed to them an act of attentive benevolence; seeing a basket
made of bark, used by them to carry water, he conveyed into it two hawks
and another bird, which the people in the boat had shot, and carefully
covering them over, left them as a present to his old friends. But indeed
the gentleness and humanity of his disposition frequently displayed themselves:
when our children, stimulated by wanton curiosity, used to flock around him,
he never failed to fondle them, and, if he were eating at the time,
constantly offered them the choicest part of his fare.
February, 1789. His reserve, from want of confidence in us, continued
gradually to wear away: he told us his name, and Manly gave place
to Arabanoo. Bread he began to relish; and tea he drank with avidity:
strong liquors he would never taste, turning from them with disgust
and abhorrence. Our dogs and cats had ceased to be objects of fear,
and were become his greatest pets, and constant companions at table.
One of our chief amusements, after the cloth was removed, was to make him
repeat the names of things in his language, which he never hesitated to do
with the utmost alacrity, correcting our pronunciation when erroneous.
Much information relating to the customs and manners of his country
was also gained from him: but as this subject will be separately and amply
treated, I shall not anticipate myself by partially touching on it here.
On the 2nd of February died Captain John Shea of the marines,
after a lingering illness: he was interred on the following day,
with the customary military honours, amidst the regret of all who knew him.
In consequence of his decease, appointments for the promotion of the oldest
officer of each subordinate rank were signed by the major commandant
of the marine battalion, until the pleasure of the lords of the admiralty
should be notified.*
[*These appointments were confirmed by the admiralty.]
On the 17th of February the 'Supply' again sailed for Norfolk Island.
The governor went down the harbour in her, and carried Arabanoo with him,
who was observed to go on board with distrust and reluctance; when he found
she was under sail, every effort was tried without success to exhilarate him;
at length, an opportunity being presented, he plunged overboard, and struck out
for the nearest shore: believing that those who were left behind would fire
at him, he attempted to dive, at which he was known to be very expert:
but this was attended with a difficulty which he had not foreseen:
his clothes proved so buoyant, that he was unable to get more than his head
under water:
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