Three Expeditions into the Interior of Eastern Australia, Volume 1: With Descriptions of the Recently Explored Region of Australia Felix, and of the Present Colony of New South WalesMitchell, T. L. (Thomas Livingstone)
History
Three Expeditions into the Interior of Eastern Australia, Volume 1: With Descriptions of the Recently Explored Region of Australia Felix, and of the Present Colony of New South Wales
Mitchell, T. L. (Thomas Livingstone)
Australia -- Discovery and exploration; Mitchell, T. L. (Thomas Livingstone), 1792-1855
As the party were pitching the tents I was, according to my usual custom,
in the bed of the Bogan with the barometer, when I heard, as from a pond
lower down, some hideous yells, then a shot, and immediately afterward
our overseer shouting "hold him!" I hurried up the bank and saw a native
running, bleeding, and screaming most piteously. He was between me and
our tents, which were beyond some trees, and quite out of sight from the
Bogan; but one or two men, on their way for water, soon drew near. The
overseer came to me limping, and stated that, on approaching the pond
with his gun looking for ducks, this native was there alone, sitting with
his dog beside a small fire; that, as soon as he saw Burnett, he yelled
hideously, and running at him in a furious manner up the bank, he
immediately threw a fire-stick and one of his boomerangs, the latter of
which struck Burnett on the leg, the other having passed close over his
shoulder. The native still advancing upon him with a boomerang, he
discharged his piece in his own defence, alarmed, as any man must have
been, under such circumstances. The native kept calling out loudly and
pathetically, but he had now ceased running, perhaps from seeing the
cattle ahead of him. Notwithstanding the entreaties of the men that I
should not go within reach of his missiles, I advanced with a green
branch in my hand towards this bleeding and helpless child of nature.
HIS CONFIDENCE GAINED BY KIND TREATMENT.
Upon seeing this he immediately ceased calling out, seemed to ask some
question, and then at once threw aside the weapons which he held, and sat
down on the ground. On my going up to him, I found he had received the
shot on various parts of his body, but chiefly on his left hand and wrist
which were covered with blood.
WOUNDED NATIVE LED TO OUR CAMP.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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