136
ac com panied b y fe v e ral officers all armed , w h e re h e fa w B e n n illo n g
and his companions., B en n illo n g th en repeated his afiurances o f b is
h a v in g , in co n ju n& io r i w i th his fr ien d C o le -b e , fe v e re ly bea ten W iL
le -m e - r in g ; and added th a t his th r ow in g the fpear at the g o v e rn o r w a s
e n t ir e ly the effeCt o f h is fears, an d done from the im pulfe o f fe lf-
p re fe rv ation .
T h e d ay p re ced in g th e g o v e rn o r ’ s v ifit, th e fifh in g boats h ad the
grea teft fuccefs w h ic h h ad y e t been met w i t h ; near fo u r , thoufand
o f a fifh , named b y us, from its fhape o n ly , the falm on , b e in g tak en
at tw o hauls o f th e feine. E a ch fifh w e ig h e d on an av era ge about
fiv e p o u n d s ; th e y w e r e iflued to this fettlement, and to that- at R o fe
H i l l ; and th ir ty o r fo r ty w e r e fen t as a co n c ilia tin g p refent to B en n
illo n g and h is p a r ty o n th e n o r th ffiore. :
T h e fe c ircum ftan ce s , and th e v if it to th e nativ e s, in w h ic h it w a s
en d e a v ou red to co n v in c e th em th a t n o a n im p fity -w a s retained on acco
u n t o f th e late ac cid ent, n o r re fentment harb oured ag ainft a n y but
th e aCtual p e rp e trator o f th e faCt, created a v a r ie ty in ,th,e con v e rfation
o f th e d a y ; and th-ofe w h o w e r e defirous o f a cq u ir in g th e lan gu ag e
w e r e glad o f the o p p o r tu n ity w h ic h th e re c en tly -o p ened intercourfe
feem ed to p rom ife them.
In th e n ig h t o f th e 2 6 th a d efertion o f an e x tra o rd in a ry nature to o k
p lac e . F iv e male co n v ic t s c o n v e y e d th em fe lv e s , in a Email flat boat
ca lled a p u n t , from R o fe H i l l u n d ifcov e red . T h e y th e re ex ch an g ed
th e p u n t , w h ic h w o u ld h a v e been u n fit fo r th e ir p u rp o fe , fo r a boat,
th o u g h v e r y fmall and w e a k , w i th a m a il and fail, w i th w h ic h th e y
g o t ou t o f th e harbour . O n fen d in g to R o fe H i l l , p eop le w e r e fo u n d
w h o co u ld g iv e an a c cou n t o f th e ir intentions and p roc e ed in g s , and
w h o k n ew that th e y p u rp o fed fle e r in g fo r Otah e ite . T h e y had each
ta k en p ro v ifio n s fo r o n e w e e k ; th e ir cloaths and b e d d in g ; three iron
p ots , and fome o th e r utenfils o f that nature. T h e y all came ou t in
th e la ft fleet, and to o k this method o f fp e e d ily a c com p lilh in g th e ir
fentences o f tran fp or tation, w h ic h w e re fo r th e term o f th e ir natural
liv e s . T h e i r names we re , J o h n T a rw o o d , a d a r in g , defperate chara
c te r , and th e princip al in th e fc h em e ; J o fep h S u t to n , w h o w a s
fo u n d fe c re ted o n board th e N ep tu n e and p u n i lh e d ; G e o r g e L e e ;
G e o rg e
G e o r g e C o n n ow a y , and J o h n W a tfo n . A boat w i th an o ffice r w a s
fen t to fearch fo r th em in th e n o r th -w e ft branch o f this harb our , b u t
re tu rn ed , after fe v e ral hours fea rch, w ith o u t d ifc o v e r in g the leaft trace
o f them. T h e y n o d oub t p ufhed direCHy ou t u p on that ocean w h ic h ,
from th e w r e tch ed ftate o f th e b oat w h e re in th e y trufted themfelv es,
m u ft h a v e p ro v ed th e ir g ra v e .
T h e g o v e rn o r p u rp o fin g to ereCt a capacious ftorehoufe and a range
o f barracks at R o fe H i ll , a eonviCt w h o u n d e r fto od th e bufinefs o f
b r ick -m a k in g w a s fen t up fo r th e p u rp o fe o f m an u fa c tu r in g a q u an tity
fuffic ient fo r tho fe bu ild in g s , a v e in o f c la y h a v in g be en fo u n d w h ic h it
w a s fup pofed w o u ld bu rn in to g o o d brick s . A v e r y co n v en ien t w h a r f
and lan d in g place w e r e made at that fe ttlem en t, and tw en ty - fe v en huts
w e r e in grea t fo rwa rdn e fs at th e end o f th e m onth.
V e r y fmall hopes w e r e entertained o f th e w h e a t o f this feafon ;
e x trem e d r y w e a th e r w a s d a ily b u rn in g it up . T o w a rd th e latter end
o f the m on th fom e rain fe ll, th e firft w h ic h d e fe rv ed the name o f
a h e a v y rain fince laft June.
O c to b e r .] T h e little rain w h ic h fe ll ab out th e clo fe o f th e p re ced in g
m on th fo on ceafed, and th e gard ens and th e co rn grou n d s w e r e again
p a rch in g fo r w an t o f moifture. T h e grafs in th e w o o d s w a s fo d r ied ,
th a t a A ng le fp a rk w o u ld h a v e fet th e fu r ro u n d in g c o u n t r y in flames ;
an in ftan ce o f th is hap pened e a r ly in the m on th , w i th th e w in d b low in
g ftro n g at N . W . It w a s h ow e v e r h a p p ily checked .
B en n illo n g , after ap p o in tin g fe v e ral day s to v ifit the g o v e rn o r , came
at laft o n th e 8th, attended b y three o f his companions. T h e w e lcom
e reception th e y met w i th from e v e r y one w h o faw th em infpired
th e ftrangers w i th fu ch a con fid en ce in us, that th e v ifit w a s fo on
repeated ; and at len g th B en n illo n g fo lic ited th e g o v e rn o r to build h im
a h u t at th e e x t r em ity o f th e eaftern p o in t o f th e co v e . T h is the
g o v e rn o r , w h o w a s v e r y defirous o f p re fe rv in g th e fr ien d ly in te r courfe
w h ic h feemed to h a v e taken p lac e , re a d ily p rom ifed , and g a v e th e
n e ce flary d irections fo r its b e in g built.
1 9 th .] W h i le w e w e r e thus am u fin g ourfelv es w ith - th e fe children
o f ign o ran c e , th e figna l fo r a fail w a s made at th e So u th H e ad , and
fh o r t ly after th e S u p p ly anchored in the co v e from Ba ta via, h a v in g
been abfent from th e fettlement f ix months and tw o d ay s . L ieu ten an t
t B a ll