Mr. Bass, on his return, picked up, on an island near the coast, the seven men who, it may be remembered, were a part of those who ran off with a settler's boat, and had been left in this place by their companions. Being utterly incapable of taking them into his boat, he put them upon the main land, furnished them with a part of his provisions for their support, and a gun with some ammunition for their protection. Two who were ill he took into his boat, and left the other five to begin their march to the northward, at the distance of upwards of 400 miles from Port Jackson. They were nearly naked, almost starved, and must inevitably have perished on the island, had not Mr. Bass discovered a smoke that they had made to attract his attention; which he, being at no great distance, took for a smoke made by some natives, and went near to converse with them. During this month the beams of the third floor of the new wind-mill were laid, and bricks were brought in for the new granary. At Parramatta the people were employed in preparing for the erection of a granary for Indian corn; which, when finished, would enable the governor to commute a substantial building now employed for a store-house for that grain, into a granary for wheat. Much of this latter article was brought round from the Hawkesbury in this month. Toward the latter end of the month there was an unusually heavy fall of rain about ten o'clock at night. CHAPTER X Pe-mul-wy Strange idea respecting him Civil court meets; nature of the business brought before it Advice of the governor to the settlers The _Francis_ returns from Preservation Island A trusty person sent to look for a salt hill said to be to the westward The wild cattle seen A new animal, the Wombat, found; described Some Irish runaways give themselves up A seizure made of timber for government Transactions Weather April The criminal court meets Three men executed Reflections Accidents among the stock Discoveries prosecuted Settlers and their complaints An old woman accused of dreaming Works in hand Weather March.] A strange idea was found to prevail among the natives respecting the savage Pe-mul-wy, which was very likely to prove fatal to him in the end. Both he and they entertained an opinion, that, from his having been frequently wounded, he could not be killed by our fire-arms. Through this fancied security, he was said to be at the head of every party that attacked the maize grounds; and it certainly became expedient to convince them both that he was not endowed with any such extraordinary exemption.