a complete account of the settlement-第23章

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experienced。　　We　were　immersed；　nearly　to　the　waist　in　mud；　so　thick　and　tenacious；　that　it　was　not　without　the　most　vigorous　exertion　of　every　muscle　of　the　body；　that　the　legs　could　be　disengaged。　　When　we　had　reached　the　middle；　our　distress　became　not　only　more　pressing；　but　serious；　and　each　succeeding　step；　buried　us　deeper。　　At　length　a　sergeant　of　grenadiers　stuck　fast；　and　declared　himself　incapable　of　moving　either　forward　or　backward；　and　just　after；　Ensign　Prentice　and　I　felt　ourselves　in　a　similar　predicament；　close　together。　'I　find　it　impossible　to　move；　I　am　sinking；'　resounded　on　every　side。　What　to　do　I　knew　not：　　every　moment　brought　increase　of　perplexity；　and　augmented　danger；　as　those　who　could　not　proceed　kept　gradually　subsiding。　From　our　misfortunes；　however；　those　in　the　rear　profited。　　Warned　by　what　they　saw　and　heard；　they　inclined　to　the　right　towards　the　head　of　the　creek；　and　thereby　contrived　to　pass　over。

Our　distress　would　have　terminated　fatally；　had　not　a　soldier　cried　out　to　those　on　shore　to　cut　boughs　of　trees*；　and　throw　them　to　usa　lucky　thought；　which　certainly　saved　many　of　us　from　perishing　miserably；　and　even　with　this　assistance；　had　we　been　burdened　by　our　knapsacks；　we　could　not　have　emerged；　for　it　employed　us　near　half　an　hour　to　disentangle　some　of　our　number。　　The　sergeant　of　grenadiers　in　particular；　was　sunk　to　his　breast…bone；　and　so　firmly　fixed　in　that　the　efforts　of　many　men　were　required　to　extricate　him；　which　was　effected　in　the　moment　after　I　had　ordered　one　of　the　ropes；　destined　to　bind　the　captive　Indians；　to　be　fastened　under　his　arms。

＇*I　had　often　read　of　this　contrivance　to　facilitate　the　passage　of　a　morass。　But　I　confess；　that　in　my　confusion　I　had　entirely　forgotten　it；　and　probably　should　have　continued　to　do　so　until　too　late　to　be　of　use。＇

Having　congratulated　each　other　on　our　escape　from　this　'Serbonian　Bog；'　and　wiped　our　arms　（half　of　which　were　rendered　unserviceable　by　the　mud）　we　once　more　pushed　forward　to　our　object；　within　a　few　hundred　yards　of　which　we　found　ourselves　about　half　an　hour　before　sunrise。　　Here　I　formed　the　detachment　into　three　divisions；　and　having　enjoined　the　most　perfect　silence；　in　order；　if　possible；　to　deceive　Indian　vigilance；　each　division　was　directed　to　take　a　different　route；　so　as　to　meet　at　the　village　at　the　same　moment。

We　rushed　rapidly　on；　and　nothing　could　succeed　more　exactly　than　the　arrival　of　the　several　detachments。　　To　our　astonishment；　however；　we　found　not　a　single　native　at　the　huts；　nor　was　a　canoe　to　be　seen　on　any　part　of　the　bay。　　I　was　at　first　inclined　to　attribute　this　to　our　arriving　half　an　hour　too　late；　from　the　numberless　impediments　we　had　encountered。　But　on　closer　examination；　there　appeared　room　to　believe；　that　many　days　had　elapsed　since　an　Indian　had　been　on　the　spot；　as　no　mark　of　fresh　fires；　or　fish　bones；　was　to　be　found。

Disappointed　and　fatigued；　we　would　willingly　have　profited　by　the　advantage　of　being　near　water；　and　have　halted　to　refresh。　　But　on　consultation；　it　was　found；　that　unless　we　reached　in　an　hour　the　rivers　we　had　so　lately　passed；　it　would　be　impossible；　on　account　of　the　tide；　to　cross　to　our　baggage；　in　which　case　we　should　be　without　food　until　evening。　　We　therefore　pushed　back；　and　by　dint　of　alternately　running　and　walking；　arrived　at　the　fords；　time　enough　to　pass　with　ease　and　safety。　　So　excessive；　however；　had　been　our　efforts；　and　so　laborious　our　progress；　that　several　of　the　soldiers；　in　the　course　of　the　last　two　miles；　gave　up；　and　confessed　themselves　unable　to　proceed　farther。　　All　that　I　could　do　for　these　poor　fellows；　was　to　order　their　comrades　to　carry　their　muskets；　and　to　leave　with　them　a　small　party　of　those　men　who　were　least　exhausted；　to　assist　them　and　hurry　them　on。　　In　three　quarters　of　an　hour　after　we　had　crossed　the　water；　they　arrived　at　it；　just　time　enough　to　effect　a　passage。

The　necessity　of　repose；　joined　to　the　succeeding　heat　of　the　day；　induced　us　to　prolong　our　halt　until　four　o'clock　in　the　afternoon；　when　we　recommenced　our　operations　on　the　opposite　side　of　the　north　arm　to　that　we　had　acted　upon　in　the　morning。　　Our　march　ended　at　sunset；　without　our　seeing　a　single　native。　　We　had　passed　through　the　country　which　the　discoverers　of　Botany　Bay　extol　as　'some　of　the　finest　meadows　in　the　world*。'　　These　meadows；　instead　of　grass；　are　covered　with　high　coarse　rushes；　growing　in　a　rotten　spongy　bog；　into　which　we　were　plunged　knee…deep　at　every　step。

＇*The　words　which　are　quoted　may　be　found　in　Mr。　Cook's　first　voyage；　and　form　part　of　his　description　of　Botany　Bay。　　It　has　often　fallen　to　my　lot　to　traverse　these　fabled　plains；　and　many　a　bitter　execration　have　I　heard　poured　on　those　travellers；　who　could　so　faithlessly　relate　what　they　saw。＇

Our　final　effort　was　made　at　half　past　one　o'clock　next　morning；　and　after　four　hours　toil；　ended　as　those　preceding　it　had　done；　in　disappointment　and　vexation。　　At　nine　o'clock　we　returned　to　Sydney；　to　report　our　fruitless　peregrination。

But　if　we　could　not　retaliate　on　the　murderer　of　M'Entire；　we　found　no　difficulty　in　punishing　offences　committed　within　our　own　observation。　Two　natives；　about　this　time；　were　detected　in　robbing　a　potato　garden。　When　seen；　they　ran　away；　and　a　sergeant　and　a　party　of　soldiers　were　dispatched　in　pursuit　of　them。　　Unluckily　it　was　dark　when　they　overtook　them；　with　some　women　at　a　fire；　and　the　ardour　of　the　soldiers　transported　them　so　far　that；　instead　of　capturing　the　offenders；　they　fired　in　among　them。　The　women　were　taken；　but　the　two　men　escaped。

On　the　following　day；　blood　was　traced　from　the　fireplace　to　the　sea…side；　where　it　seemed　probable　that　those　who　had　lost　it；　had　embarked。　The　natives　were　observed　to　become　immediately　shy；　but　an　exact　knowledge　of　the　mischief　which　had　been　committed；　was　not　gained　until　the　end　of　two　days；　when　they　said　that　a　man　of　the　name　of　Bangai　（who　was　known　to　be　one　of　the　pilferers）　was　wounded　and　dead。　　Imeerawanyee；　however；　whispered　that　though　he　was　wounded；　he　was　not　dead。　　A　hope　now　existed　that　his　life　might　be　saved；　and　Mr。　White；　taking　Imeerawanyee；　Nanbaree；　and　a　woman　with　him；　set　out　for　the　spot　where　he　was　reported　to　be。　But　on　their　reaching　it；　they　were　told　by　some　people　who　were　there　that　the　man　was　dead；　and　that　the　corpse　was　deposited　in　a　bay　about　a　mile　off。　　Thither　they　accordingly　repaired；　and　found　it　as　described；　coveredexcept　one　leg；　which　seemed　to　be　designedly　left　barewith　green　boughs　and　a　fire　burning　near　it。　　Those　who　had　performed　the　funeral　obsequies　seemed　to　have　been　particularly　solicitous　for　the　protection　of　the　face；　which　was　covered　with　a　thick　branch；　interwoven　with　grass　and　fern　so　as　to　form　a　complete　screen。　　Around　the　neck　was　a　strip　of　the　bark　of　which　they　make　fishing　lines；　and　a　young　strait　stick　growing　near　was　stripped　of　its　bark　and　bent　down　so　as　to　form　an　arch　over　the　body；　in　which　position　it　was　confined　by　a　forked　branch　stuck　into　the　earth。

On　examining　the　corpse；　it　was　found　to　be　warm。　　Through　the　shoulder　had　passed　a　musquet　ball；　which　had　divided　the　subclavian　artery　and　caused　death　by　loss　of　blood。　　No　mark　of　any　remedy　having　been　applied　could　be　discovered。　　Possibly　the　nature　of　the　wound；　which　even　among　us　would　baffle　cure　without　amputation　of　the　arm　at　the　shoulder；　was　deemed　so　fatal；　that　they　despaired　of　success；　and　therefore　left　it　to　itself。　Had　Mr。　White　found　the　man　alive；　there　is　little　room　to　think　that　he　could　have　been　of　any　use　to　him；　for　that　an　Indian　would　submit　to　so　formidable　and　alarming　an　operation　seems　hardly　probable。

None　of　the　natives　who　had　come　in　the　boat　would　touch　the　body；　or　even　go　near　it；　saying；　the　mawn　would　come；　that　is　literally；　'the　spirit　of　the　deceased　would　seize　them'。　　Of　the　people　who　died　among　us；　they　had　expressed　no　such　apprehension。　　But　how　far　the　difference　of　a　natural　death；　and　one　effected　by　violence；　may　operate　on　their　fears　to　induce　superstition；　and　why　those　who　had　performed　the　rites　of　sepulture　should　not　experience　similar　fears