be lin k ed to g e th e r b y the le g , and fent th em ba ck to R o fe H i l l , there
to labou r u p o n bread and w a te r . I t w a s in th is fituation th a t, ta k in g
ad v an tage o f th e ir o ve r fe e r ’ s ab fen ce fo r a few minutes, th e y w e n t to
th e h u t, o f th e fituation o f w h ic h th e y h ad p re v io u s k n ow le d g e , and
robbed it o f e v e r y .th in g th e y cou ld c a r ry aw a y .
W h ile th e fe p eo p le w e r e fu ffe r in g th e p u nifhm en t th e y d eferved,
James B lo o dw o r th , m entioned b e fo re in this n a r ra t iv e , re c e iv ed the
m o ll d ift in g u ifh in g m a rk o f ap p robation w h ic h the g o v e rn o r had in his
' p ow e r to g iv e h im , b e in g declared fre e , and at lib e r ty to return to
E n g lan d w h en e v e r h e lh o u ld ch o o fe to q u it the c o lo n y . B lo o dw o r th
had ap p ro v ed h im fe lf a m o d u fe fu l m emb er o f th e fettlement, in w h ic h
th e re w a s no t a h o u fe o r b u ild in g th a t did no t ow.e fom e th in g to h im ;
and as his lofs w o u ld be fe v e r e ly f e l t lh o u ld h e q u it it w h ile in its in fa
n c y , h e bou n d h im fe lf b y an a g re emen t w i th th e g o v e rn o r to w o r k
fo r tw o y e a r s lo n g e r in th e c o lo n y , ftip u la tin g o n ly to be fed and
c lo th ed d u r in g th a t time.
E n c o u ra g e d b y th e fa c ili ty w i th w h ic h T a rw o o d and his companions
made th e ir efcape from th e c o lo n y , fom e others w e r e fo rm in g p lans fo r
a fim ila r enterprife. A c o n v i f t g a v e in fo rm a tion that a fcheme' n e a r ly
rip e fo r e x e cu t io n w a s framed , and that the parties h ad p rov id ed th em -
fe lv e s w i th oars, m a ils , fails, & c . fo r th e p u rp o fe , w h ic h w e r e co n cealed
in th e w o o d s ; and as a p r o o f o f th e v e ra c ity o f h is a c cou n t, he
fo c le a r ly d efcr ibed th e place o f depoftt, that on fen d in g to the fpot,
fo u r o r fiv e rud e u n fin ilh ed Hakes w e r e fo u n d , w h ic h he faid w e re to
be falh io n ed in to oars. T h e p e r fon w h o g a v e the in fo rm a tion dreaded
fo m u ch b e in g k n ow n as th e au th or , that no fu r th e r n otice w a s tak en
o f it than d e ftr o y in g th e oars, and k e ep in g a v e r y v ig ila n t e y e on the
c o n d u i t o f the p eop le w h o h ad been named b y h im as the p arties in th e
bufinefs.
A ttem p ts o f this, fo r t w e re a lw a y s lik e ly to be made, at leaft as lo n g
as a n y d ifficu lty o ccurred in th e ir q u it tin g the c o lo n y after the term had
e x p ir e d fo r w h ic h b y law th e y w e r e fentenced to rem ain abroad. T h e r e
m u ll be m a n y am o n g them w h o w o u ld be an x io u s to re turn to th e ir
w iv e s o r ch ild ren , o r other relations, and w h o , p erhaps, m ig h t no t refort
ag a in to the com pan ion s o f th e ir id le hours. I f thefe p eop le fo u n d a n y
obllac les
o b lla c le s in th e ir w a y , th e y w o u ld n a tu ra lly be d r iv en to a ttem p t th e
atta inment o f th e ir w ilh e s in fom e o th e r m o d e ; and it w o u ld th en b e com
e an o b je c t o f bad p o l ic y , as w e ll as c ru e lty , to detain th em .
T h e w e a th e r ab out this period was e v id en tly b e c om in g w a rm e r e v e r y
d a y ; and a lth o u gh the. trees n e ve r w h o l ly lo l l th e ir fo lia g e , y e t th e y
g a v e m anifeft fign s o f the return o f fp r in g.
N o v em b e r .] ” James W illiam s , w h o w a s m iffin g on th e fa ilin g o f the
S u p p ly fo r B a ta v ia , w a s fo u n d b y L ie u ten an t B a ll to h a v e fecreted h im fe
l f on board th a t v e lfe l, and on h e r return h e d e liv e red h im u p as a
p r ifo n e r to th e p ro v o ll-m a r lh a l. W illiam s 'ow n e d that h is flight w a s to
a v o id a p u n ilhm en t w h ic h h e k n ew aw aited h im ; and L ie u ten an t B a ll
fp o k e fo fa v o u ra b ly o f h is condudt w h ile he Was un d e r his o b fe rv a tion ,
th a t th e g o v e rn o r w o u ld h a v e fo rg iv e n h im , had he n o t feared that
others m ig h t, from fu ch an e x am p le , th in k to meet th e fame in d u lg ence
: h e th e re fo re direc ted h im to re c e iv e tw o h und red and f i f t y la lhes,
(h a l f o f th e p u n ilhm en t w h ic h b y th e cou r t that tr ied h im h e w a s fenten
c ed to re c e iv e ,) and rem itted the remainder.
A fmall boat b e lo n g in g to M r . W h i te , w h ic h had be en fent o u t w i th
a f e in e ,' was lo ll this mon th fom ew h e re ab out M id d le H e ad . S h e had
fiv e convidts in he r ; and, from the reports o f the nativ es w h o w e r e
w itn e fie s o f th e ac cid ent, it w a s fup po fed th e y had erod ed the h a rb ou r ’s
m o u th , and, h a v in g hau led th e feine in H u n te r ’ s B a y , w e r e re tu rn in g
lo ad ed , w h e n , g e t tin g in to o clofe w i th th e ro ck s and th e fu r f u n d e r
M id d le H e a d , Ihe filled and w en t d ow n . T h e firlt in fo rm ation that
a n y ac cid ent had happened w a s g iv e n b y th e n atives, w h o had fecured
th e rud d e r, m a ll, an o ar, and o th e r parts o f the bo at, w h ic h th e y had
fix e d in fu ch fituations as w e r e lik e ly to render them con fp icu ou s to
a n y boat p a llin g that w a y . M r . W h ite and fom e o th e r g en tlemen,
g o in g d ow n d ire d t ly ,- fo u n d th e ir in fo rm a tion too true . O n e o f the
bodies w a s ly in g dead on the b e a c h ; w i th the affillance o f C o le -b e
and th e other natives he re co v e red th e fe in e w h ic h w a s en tan gled in
th e ro ck s, and b ro u g h t aw a y the parts o f his boat w h ic h th e y had
fecured.
T h is appeared to be a ft lik in g inftance o f th e g o od e fle ft o f the in-
tercourfe w h ic h had been o pened w ith thefe p eop le ; and there feemed
o n ly to be a g o od Under-Handing be twe en us and th em w a n tin g to e lla -
. b liffi