a complete account of the settlement-第25章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



Until　they　reached　the　gulf　of　Carpentaria；　they　saw　no　natives　or　canoes　differing　from　those　about　Port　Jackson。　　But　now　they　were　chased　by　large　canoes；　jitted　with　sails　and　fighting　stages；　and　capable　of　holding　thirty　men　each。　　They　escaped　by　dint　of　rowing　to　windward。　　On　the　5th　of　June　1791　they　reached　Timor；　and　pretended　that　they　had　belonged　to　a　ship　which；　on　her　passage　from　Port　Jackson　to　India；　had　foundered；　and　that　they　only　had　escaped。　　The　Dutch　received　them　with　kindness　and　treated　them　with　hospitality。　　But　their　behaviour　giving　rise　to　suspicion；　they　were　watched；　and　one　of　them　at　last；　in　a　moment　of　intoxication；　betrayed　the　secret。　　They　were　immediately　secured　and　committed　to　prison。　　Soon　after　Captain　Edwards　of　the　Pandora；　who　had　been　wrecked　near　Endeavour　straits；　arrived　at　Timor；　and　they　were　delivered　up　to　him；　by　which　means　they　became　passengers　in　the　Gorgon。

I　confess　that　I　never　looked　at　these　people　without　pity　and　astonishment。　They　had　miscarried　in　a　heroic　struggle　for　liberty　after　having　combated　every　hardship　and　conquered　every　difficulty。

The　woman；　and　one　of　the　men；　had　gone　out　to　Port　Jackson　in　the　ship　which　had　transported　me　thither。　　They　had　both　of　them　been　always　distinguished　for　good　behaviour。　　And　I　could　not　but　reflect　with　admiration　at　the　strange　combination　of　circumstances　which　had　again　brought　us　together；　to　baffle　human　foresight　and　confound　human　speculation。＇


April；　1791。　　Notwithstanding　the　supplies　which　had　recently　arrived　from　Batavia；　short　allowance　was　again　proclaimed　on　the　2nd　of　April；　on　which　day　we　were　reduced　to　the　following　ration：

Three　pounds　of　rice；　three　pounds　of　flour　and　three　pounds　of　pork　per　week。

It　was　singularly　unfortunate　that　these　retrenchments　should　always　happen　when　the　gardens　were　most　destitute　of　vegetables。　　A　long　drought　had　nearly　exhausted　them。　　The　hardships　which　we　in　consequence　suffered　were　great；　but　not　comparable　to　what　had　been　formerly　experienced。　　Besides；　now　we　made　sure　of　ships　arriving　soon　to　dispel　our　distress。　　Whereas；　heretofore；　from　having　never　heard　from　England；　the　hearts　of　men　sunk　and　many　had　begun　to　doubt　whether　it　had　not　been　resolved　to　try　how　long　misery　might　be　endured　with　resignation。

Notwithstanding　the　incompetency　of　so　diminished　a　pittance；　the　daily　task　of　the　soldier　and　convict　continued　unaltered。　　I　never　contemplated　the　labours　of　these　men　without　finding　abundant　cause　of　reflection　on　the　miseries　which　our　nature　can　overcome。　　Let　me　for　a　moment　quit　the　cold　track　of　narrative。　　Let　me　not　fritter　away　by　servile　adaptation　those　reflections　and　the　feelings　they　gave　birth　to。　　Let　me　transcribe　them　fresh　as　they　arose；　ardent　and　generous；　though　hopeless　and　romantic。　I　every　day　see　wretches　pale　with　disease　and　wasted　with　famine；　struggle　against　the　horror's　of　their　situation。　　How　striking　is　the　effect　of　subordination；　how　dreadful　is　the　fear　of　punishment！　　The　allotted　task　is　still　performed；　even　on　the　present　reduced　subsistence。　　The　blacksmith　sweats　at　the　sultry　forge；　the　sawyer　labours　pent…up　in　his　pit　and　the　husbandman　turns　up　the　sterile　glebe。　　Shall　I　again　hear　arguments　multiplied　to　violate　truth；　and　insult　humanity！　　Shall　I　again　be　told　that　the　sufferings　of　the　wretched　Africans　are　indispensable　for　the　culture　of　our　sugar　colonies；　　that　white　men　are　incapable　of　sustaining　the　heat　of　the　climate！　　I　have　been　in　the　West　Indies。　　I　have　lived　there。　I　know　that　it　is　a　rare　instance　for　the　mercury　in　the　thermometer　to　mount　there　above　90　degrees；　and　here　I　scarcely　pass　a　week　in　summer　without　seeing　it　rise　to　100　degrees；　sometimes　to　105；　nay；　beyond　even　that　burning　altitude。

But　toil　cannot　be　long　supported　without　adequate　refreshment。　　The　first　step　in　every　community　which　wishes　to　preserve　honesty　should　be　to　set　the　people　above　want。　　The　throes　of　hunger　will　ever　prove　too　powerful　for　integrity　to　withstand。　　Hence　arose　a　repetition　of　petty　delinquencies；　which　no　vigilance　could　detect；　and　no　justice　reach。　　Gardens　were　plundered；　provisions　pilfered；　and　the　Indian　corn　stolen　from　the　fields　where　it　grew　for　public　use。　　Various　were　the　measures　adopted　to　check　this　depredatory　spirit。　　Criminal　courts；　either　from　the　tediousness　of　their　process；　or　from　the　frequent　escape　of　culprits　from　their　decision；　were　seldomer　convened　than　formerly。　　The　governor　ordered　convict　offenders　either　to　be　chained　together　or　to　wear　singly　a　large　iron　collar　with　two　spikes　projecting　from　it；　which　effectually　hindered　the　party　from　concealing　it　under　his　shirt；　and　thus　shackled；　they　were　compelled　to　perform　their　quota　of　work。

May；　1791。　　Had　their　marauding　career　terminated　here；　humanity　would　have　been　anxious　to　plead　in　their　defence；　but　the　natives　continued　to　complain　of　being　robbed　of　spears　and　fishing　tackle。　　A　convict　was　at　length　taken　in　the　fact　of　stealing　fishing…tackle　from　Daringa；　the　wife　of　Colbee。　The　governor　ordered　that　he　should　be　severely　flogged　in　the　presence　of　as　many　natives　as　could　be　assembled；　to　whom　the　cause　of　punishment　should　be　explained。　　Many　of　them；　of　both　sexes；　accordingly　attended。　Arabanoo's　aversion　to　a　similar　sight　has　been　noticed；　and　if　the　behaviour　of　those　now　collected　be　found　to　correspond　with　it；　it　is；　I　think；　fair　to　conclude　that　these　people　are　not　of　a　sanguinary　and　implacable　temper。　　Quick　indeed　of　resentment；　but　not　unforgiving　of　injury。　There　was　not　one　of　them　that　did　not　testify　strong　abhorrence　of　the　punishment　and　equal　sympathy　with　the　sufferer。　　The　women　were　particularly　affected；　Daringa　shed　tears；　and　Barangaroo；　kindling　into　anger；　snatched　a　stick　and　menaced　the　executioner。　　The　conduct　of　these　women；　on　this　occasion；　was　exactly　descriptive　of　their　characters。　The　former　was　ever　meek　and　feminine；　the　latter　fierce　and　unsubmissive。

On　the　first　of　May；　many　allotments　of　ground　were　parcelled　out　by　the　governor　to　convicts　whose　periods　of　transportation　were　expired；　and　who　voluntarily　offered　to　become　settlers　in　the　country。　　The　terms　on　which　they　settled；　and　their　progress　in　agriculture；　will　be　hereafter　set　forth。




CHAPTER　XIV。



Travelling　Diaries　in　New　South　Wales。


From　among　my　numerous　travelling　journals　into　the　interior　parts　of　the　country；　I　select　the　following　to　present　to　the　reader；　as　equally　important　in　their　object；　and　more　amusing　in　their　detail；　than　any　other。

In　April　1791　an　expedition　was　undertaken；　in　order　to　ascertain　whether　or　not　the　Hawkesbury　and　the　Nepean；　were　the　same　river。　With　this　view；　we　proposed　to　fall　in　a　little　above　Richmond　Hill*；　and　trace　down　to　it；　and　if　the　weather　should　prove　fine　to　cross　at　the　ford；　and　go　a　short　distance　westward；　then　to　repass　the　river　and　trace　it　upward　until　we　should　either　arrive　at　some　spot　which　we　knew　to　be　the　Nepean；　or　should　determine　by　its　course　that　the　Hawkesbury　was　a　different　stream。

＇*Look　at　the　map　for　the　situation　of　this　place　（Unfortunately；　there　is　no　map　accompanying　this　etext。　Ed。）＇


Our　party　was　strong　and　numerous。　　It　consisted　of　twenty…one　persons；　viz。　the　governor；　Mr。　Collins　and　his　servant；　Mr。　White；　Mr。　Dawes；　the　author；　three　gamekeepers；　two　sergeants；　eight　privates；　and　our　friends　Colbee　and　Boladeree。　　These　two　last　were　volunteers　on　the　occasion；　on　being　assured　that　we　should　not　stay　out　many　days　and　that　we　should　carry　plenty　of　provisions。　　Baneelon　wished　to　go；　but　his　wife　would　not　permit　it。　　Colbee　on　the　other　hand；　would　listen　to　no　objections。　He　only　stipulated　（with　great　care　and　consideration）　that；　during　his　absence；　his　wife　and　child　should　remain　at　Sydney　under　our　protection；　and　be　supplied　with　provisions。

But　before　we　set　out；　let　me　describe　our　equipment；　and　try　to　convey　to　those　who　have　rolled　along　on　turnpike　roads　only；　an　account　of　those　preparations　which　are　required　in　traversing　the　wilderness。　　Every　man　（the　governor　excepted）　carried　his　own　kna