[17,90.
w e n t d ow n and landed at the p lace w h e re the w h a le w a s ly in g . H e r e
h e n o t o n ly faw B en n illo n g , bu t C o le -b e alfo, w h o h ad made his efcape
from th e g o v e rn o r ’ s h o u fe a few d a y s after h is capture. A t firft his e x c
e llen c y trufted h im fe lf a lone w i th th e fe p e o p le ; b u t th e few months
B e n n illo n g had been aw a y had fo altered his p e r fon , th a t the g o v e rn o r ,
un til jo in e d b y M r . C o llin s , an d M r . W a te rh o u fe , did no t perfedUy
r e c o i le d h is o ld acqua intance. B e n n illo n g had been a lw a y s m u ch
atta ched to M r . C o llin s , and te ftified w i th m u ch w a rm th . -Ms fatis-
fadtion at fe e in g h im ag ain. S e v e ra l articles o f w e a r in g apparel w e r e
n o w g iv e n to h im an d h is com pan ion s (taken fo r; that purpose from
th e p eop le in th e boat, w h o , all but one man, rem ained on th e ir oafs
to be r e a d y in cafe o f a n y a c c id ent), and a p r om ife w a s e x a d e d from
th e g o v e rn o r b y B en n illo n g to re turn in tw o d a y s w i th m ore , and alfo
w i th fem e hatchets o r tom ah aw k s , $ T h e co v e w a s fu ll o f natives
allu red b y th e a t tr a d io n s o f a w h a le f e a f t ; and it b e in g remarked
d u r in g th e con fe ren ce that th e tw e n ty o r th ir ty w h ic h appeared w e r e
d raw in g th em fe lv e s in to a circle rou n d th e g o v e rn o r and his fmall
u n a rm ed p a r ty , ( fo r th a t w a s lite ra lly and m oft in e x cu fa b ly th e ir
fitu a tion ,) th e g o v e rn o r p rop o fed r e t ir in g to th e boat b y d e g r e e s ;
b u t B en n illo n g , w h o h ad preferrted to him fe v e ra l nativ es b y n am e ,
p oin ted o u t o n e , w h om th e g o v e rn o r , th in k in g to tak e p ar ticu lar
n o tic e o f , ftep p ed fo rw a rd to meet, h o ld in g o u t bo th h is hands
tow a rd h im . T h e fav a ge no t u n d e rftan d in g this c iv il ity , and perhaps
th in k in g that h e w a s g o in g to fe iz e h im as a p rifone r , lifted a fpear
from th e grafs w i th h is fo o t , and f ix in g it on his th row in g - flic k , in
an in ftan t darted i t at th e g o v e rn o r . T h e fp ear entered a little ab ov e
th e co lla r b o n e , an d had been difcharged w ith fu ch fo rce , th a t th e
ba rb o f it came th ro u g h on th e o th e r fide. S e v e ra l o th e r fpears w e r e
th r ow n , b u t h a p p i ly n o fu r the r m ifc h ie f w a s effe& ed . T h e fp ear was
w i th d iffic u lty b ro k en b y L ieu ten an t W a te rh o u fe , and w h ile th e g o v
e rn o r w a s le a d in g d ow n to th e bo a t the p eop le landed w i th th e arms,
b u t o f fo u r m ufque ts w h ic h th e y b ro u g h t on ffiore one o n ly could be
fired .
T h e b o a t h ad fiv e miles to row be fo re it rea ched th e fe tt lem en t;
b u t th e p e o p le in h e r e x e r tin g th em fe lv e s to th e u tm o ft, th e g o v e rn o r
w a s landed and in his h o u fe in .fom e th in g lefs than tw o h o u rs . T h e
fp ear w a s e x tra c ted w i th m u ch fk ill b y M r . B a lm a in , one o f th e
affiftant-furgeons o f th e ho fp ita l, w h o im m ed ia te ly p ron ou n ced th e
w o u n d n o t mortal. A n armed p a r ty w a s d ifp atched th a t e v en in g
tow a rd B ro k en B a y fo r M r . W h ite , the p r in c ip a l fu rg e o n , w h o retu
rn ed th e fo llow in g d a y , and repor ted th a t in the co v e w h e r e th e
w h a le la y th e y faw fe v e ral n ativ e s ; b u t b e in g armed n o th in g had
happened.
N o o th e r m otiv e co u ld b e affigned fo r th is c o n d u f t in th e fa v a g e ,
th an th e fup po fed ap p reh enfion th a t h e w a s ab out to b e fe ized b y th e
g o v e rn o r , w h ic h th e c ircum ftan ce o f h is ad v an c in g tow a rd h im w i th
h is hands held ou t m ig h t create. B u t it c e r ta in ly w o u ld n o t h a v e
h ap p en ed had th e p re caution o f ta k in g e v en a Ang le m u fk e t on fhore
be en attended to . T h e g o v e rn o r had a lw a y s placed to o g rea t a c o n fid
ence in the fe p eop le , under an id ea th a t the fig h t o f fire arms w o u ld
deter them from a p p r o a c h in g ; he h ad n ow , h ow e v e r , be en tau gh t a
le ifon w h ic h it m igh t be prefumed h e w o u ld n e v e r fo rg e t.
T h is a c cid ent g a v e caufe to the o p en in g o f a com m u n ica tio n b e tw e en
th e natives o f this c o u n t ry and th e fettlem ent, w h ic h , a lth o u gh attended
w ith fu ch an u n p rom ifin g b e g in n in g , it w a s ho p ed w o u ld be
fo llow ed w i th g o o d confequences.
A few d a y s after th e ac cid ent, B e n n illo n g , w h o c e r ta in ly h ad n o t
a n y cu lpable lhare in th e tra n fa t lio n , came w i th h is w i fe and fom e
o f his companions to a co v e on the n o r th Ihore no t fa r from th e fettlem
en t, w h e r e , b y means o f B o o - ro o n g , th e female w h o liv e d in
th e c le rg ym an ’ s h o u fe , an in te r v iew w a s effec ted b e tw e en th e nativ es
and fom e officers, M r . W h ite , M r . P a lm e r , and others, w h o at fom e
p erfonal r ifk w e n t o v e r w i th her.
A t this time th e name o f th e man w h o had w o u n d e d th e g o v e rn o r
was firft k n ow n , W il - le -m e - r in g ; and B e n n illo n g made m a n y attempts
to f ix a b e l ie f that h e h ad b eaten h im fe v e r e ly fo r th e ag gre ffion .
B e n n illo n g declared that he Ihould w a it in th a t fitu a tion fo r fom e d a y s ,
and ho p ed that the g o v e rn o r w o u ld b e ab le, b e fo re th e e x p ira tion o f
th em , to v if it h im . O n th e tenth d a y after h e h ad re ce ived th e
w o u n d , h is e x c e llen c y w a s fo fa r recovered as to g o to th e p la c e ,
accom