Narrative Of The Overland Expedition Of The Messrs. Jardine, From Rockhampton To Cape York, Northern Queensland By Frank Jardine And Alexander Jardine
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At About A-Mile-And-A-Half They Came On To A Number Of
Blacks Fishing, These Immediately Crossed To The Other Side, But On
Their Return, Swam Across Again In Numbers, Armed With Large Bundles
Of Spears And Some Nullahs And Met Them.
The horsemen seeing they
were in for another row, now cantered forward towards the camp,
determined this time to give their assailants a severe lesson.
This
was interpreted into a flight by the savages, who set up a yell, and
re-doubled their pursuit, sending in their spears thick and fast.
These now coming much too close to be pleasant (for some of them were
thrown a hundred yards), the three turned suddenly on their pursuers,
and galloping up to them, poured in a volley, the report of which
brought down their companions from the camp, when the skirmish became
general. The natives at first stood up courageously, but either by
accident or through fear, despair or stupidity, they got huddled in a
heap, in, and at the margin of the water, when ten carbines poured
volley after volley into them from all directions, killing and
wounding with every shot with very little return, nearly all of their
spears having been expended in the pursuit of the horsemen. About
thirty being killed, the Leader thought it prudent to hold his hand,
and let the rest escape. Many more must have been wounded and
probably drowned, for fifty nine rounds were counted as discharged.
On the return of the party to the cattle an incident occurred which
nearly cost one of them his life.
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