An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales, Volume 2: An Account Of The English Colony In New South Wales, From Its First Settlement In 1788, To August 1801: With Remarks On The Dispositions, Customs, Manners, Etc. Of The Native Inhabitants Of That Country. To Which Are Added, Some Particulars Of New Zealand; Compiled, By Permission, From The Mss. Of Lieutenant-Governor King; And An Account Of The Voyage Performed By Captain Flinders And Mr. Bass.Collins, David
History
An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales, Volume 2: An Account Of The English Colony In New South Wales, From Its First Settlement In 1788, To August 1801: With Remarks On The Dispositions, Customs, Manners, Etc. Of The Native Inhabitants Of That Country. To Which Are Added, Some Particulars Of New Zealand; Compiled, By Permission, From The Mss. Of Lieutenant-Governor King; And An Account Of The Voyage Performed By Captain Flinders And Mr. Bass.
Collins, David
New South Wales -- Description and travel
Not finding any fresh water wherewith to fill up their casks, they had
dug a hole in a low situation about a hundred yards inland. The first
spit consisted of vegetable earth, mixed with a large portion of black
sand; the three following feet were composed of different layers of sand,
and then they came to the hardened black clay of which the rocks on some
parts of the banks were formed. Here the water began to ooze in at the
sides of the hole, which in the course of thirty-six hours was filled,
but with very thick water. Luckily there was not any occasion to use it;
for one of the people, incautiously straying into the wood, met with a
hole of very good water, at which they completed their stock.
While they were employed in making up the sails, which had been loosed in
the first part of the morning to dry, three natives made their appearance
upon the beach, a short distance below the vessel, and unarmed as before.
Bong-ree went up to them in his usual undaunted manner; but they would
not suffer Mr. Flinders or any of his party to approach them, without
first laying down their muskets. Presents were made them of yarn caps,
pork, and biscuit, all of which they eagerly took, and made signs for
Bong-ree to go with them, and they would give him girdles and fillets, to
bind round his head and the upper parts of his arms. So long as their
visitors consisted only of two, the natives were lively, dancing and
singing in concert in a pleasing manner; but, the number of white men
having imperceptibly increased to eight, they became alarmed and
suspicious, seeming to look with a jealous eye upon a shot belt which Mr.
Flinders wore, and which, though they did not rightly know how, might
some how or other be a deadly weapon.
Observing this, he gave it to one of the people to take away; but this he
afterwards thought was wrong, as tending to make them suspicious of every
thing they saw, and thus be a means of destroying their friendly
intercourse. By this shot belt they seemed to recognise Mr Flinders as
the person who had fired upon them before, and were more desirous that he
should keep at a distance than any other person. Three of the sailors,
who were Scotch, were desired to dance a reel, but, for want of music,
they made a very bad performance, which was contemplated by the natives
without much amusement or curiosity. Finding they could not be persuaded
to visit the sloop, our people parted with them, but in a very friendly
manner.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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