We Had Our Carbines In Hand, Cocked, And Prepared To Defend
Ourselves In The Event Of Hostilities, Which We Earnestly
Hoped to avoid.
Lizzie, who had at last begun to understand that slaughter was not our
object, and who had
Been reconciled to our tame proceedings by the promise
of much finery, now advanced towards the threatening natives and made a
speech in their own language, to the effect that we wished to do them no
harm, beyond ascertaining whether there were any whites among them, though,
if we found murder had been committed, we should discover the perpetrators,
hold them answerable, and punish them. Rewards were offered for any
information that would lead to a knowledge of the real fate of the
shipwrecked crew, and an exaggerated estimate of our strength, and the
capability of our firearms, was given by our interpreter, on her own
account, and was perfectly intelligible to us from the signs and
gesticulations she made, and the scorn with which she pointed to the rude
weapons of her country-men; for the intrepid little girl had marched
fearlessly up to the group of warriors.
After delivering her speech, Lizzie withdrew to us, and we waited, rather
anxiously, the turn that affairs would take; for a peaceful solution would
be far preferable to a fight, in which, though we must ultimately be the
victors, yet success would only be achieved at considerable loss of life,
probably on both sides.
Whilst matters rested thus, and the blacks were holding an animated
discussion, one of the troopers espied a solitary dingo on the rocks
overlooking the "bora ground," and distant from us about fifty yards.
Lizzie at once said -
"Suppose you shoot 'em that fellow dingo, plenty that frighten black fellow."
"By Jove, Lizzie, what a good idea!" we said.
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