and th e y w e r e rep or ted , fome d ay s afterward s, to h a v e been met o n
th e ir route to th e r iv e r. Su ffin i w o u ld not h a v e been flio t -at, had he
n o t refufed to furrend er w ’h en called to b y th e wa tchm an w h ile in the
a£t o f p lu n d e r in g a garden.-
. . A b o u t th e latter end o f th e -m o n th th e n ativ e s adjufted fome affairs
o f h o n o u r in a co n v en ien t fp o t near the brick -fie ld s. T h e people w h o
live: ab out the fo u th fhore o f B o ta n y .B a y b r o u g h t w i th them a ftranger
o f an e x tra o rd in a ry .appearance and c h a ra d le r ; e v en his name had
fom e th in g e x tra o rd in a ry -in th e foun d— G om e -b o a k . H e had been
fe v e ral d ay s -on h i s jo u r n e y from the place w h e re he liv e d , w h ic h w a s
fa r to the T outhw ard . In h e ig h t he was no t more than fiv e feet tw o
o r th re e inche s ; b u t h e w a s b y fa r th e m oft mufcular, fqua re , and w e l l- ,
fo rm ed n ativ e w e had e v e r Teen. H e fo u g h t w e l l ; his fpears w e re
rem a rk a b ly lo n g , and h e defended h im fe lf w i th a fhield th a t co v e red
his w h o le b o d y . W e had th e fa tis fa ftio n o f fe e in g h im en gag ed w ith
fom e o f ou r S y d n e y fr ien d s , and o f o b fe rv in g that n e ith e r th e ir perfons
n o r rep uta tions buffered a n y th in g in th e conteft. W h e n th e figh t was
o v e r , on ou r p ra ifin g to th em th e martial talents o f this ftran g e r , th e
ftren g th and m ufcle o f his arm, and th e ex ce llen ce o f his fig h t , th e y
admitted th e p raife to be ju f t (becaufe w h e n oppofed to th em he had
n o t g a in ed th e fligh te ft ad v an tage ) ; but, u n w i llin g th a t w e fh ould
th in k to o h ig h ly o f h im , th e y affured u s , w i th h o r ro r in th e ir co u n ten
an ce s , th a t G om e -b o a k w a s a cannibal * .
M a r c h .] O n th e i f t o f M a r ch th e F ranc is returned from P o r t
Stephens . M r . G r im e s rep or ted , th a t he w en t in to tw o fre fh -w a te r
b ran ch e s , u p w h ic h h e row e d , u n til, at .no v e r y grea t d iftance from
th e entrance, h e fo u n d them termina te in a fw am p . H e deferibed the
lan d -on each fid e to be low and fan d y , and h a d feen n o th in g w h ile in
th is harb ou r w h ic h in his o p in io n could rend e r a fecond v ifit nece ffa ry .
T h e nativ es w e r e fo v e r y u n fr ie n d ly , that h e m ad e b u t few obfe rv a-
tion s on them . H e th o u g h t th e y w e r e a ta lle r and a ftouter race o f
p eop le than tho fe about th is fettlement, and th e ir lan gu ag e w a s en tir e ly
d ifferent. T h e i r h uts and canoes w e re fomething: la rge r than th o fe
w h ic h w e had feen h e r e ; th e ir we ap on s w e re th e fame.: T h e y w e l-
* Gome-boat, we learned, -was afterwards killed among his own people in fome
affair to the fouthward,
corned
corned h im on fhore w i th a dance, jo in e d han d in han d , rou n d a tre e ,
to exprefs perhaps th e ir u n an im ity ; but one o f th em afterward s, d raw in
g M r . G r im e s into th e w o o d , poifed a fp ea r , and w a s on th e p o in t
o f th row in g it, w h en he w a s prevented b y y o u n g W i l fo n , w h o , h a v in g
fo llow e d M r . G r im e s w i th a d ouble-barrelled g u n , le v e lled at th e na tiv e ,
and fired it. H e was fup pofed to be w o u n d e d , fo r h e f e l l ; b u t r ifin g
ag ain , he attempted a fecond time to th row the fp ear, and w a s ag a in
p revented b y W ilfo n . T h e effedt o f this fe con d Ihot w a s fu p p o fed to
be co n c lu fiv e , as h e w a s n o t .feen to rife a n y m ore . M r . G r im e s g o t
b a ck to his boat w ith o u t a n y o th e r in te r ru p tion .
M r . H o u fe in h is w a y th ith e r ran clo fe a lon g th e Ihore, and faw n o t
a n y fhelter fo r a fh ip o r v e ffe l from B r o k e n B a y to P o r t Stephens.
T h e fch o o n e r w a s o n ly fou r te en hou rs on h e r return.
A b o u t th is tim e , the fp ir it o f in q u ir y b e in g on fo o t , M r . C um m in g s ,'
an officer o f th e corps, made an e x cu r fio n to th e fou thw a rd o f B o ta n y
B a y , and b ro u g h t b a ck w ith h im fom e o f th e head bones o f a m arin e
anima l, w h ic h , on infpedtiort, Captain Pa terfon, th e o n ly n atu ralift
in th e c o u n t ry , p ron ou n ced to h a v e b e lon g ed to th e anima l deferibed
b y M . de B u ffo n , and named b y h im th e M an a te e . O n
th is e x cu r fio n M r . C um m in g s re c e iv ed fom e in fo rm a tion w h ic h led
h im to b e lie ve that th e cattle th a t had be en lo ft fo on after ou r
a r r iv a l w e r e in ex iften c e . T h e n ativ e s w h o con v e r ted w i th h im
w e r e fo p articu la r in th e ir ac co u n t o f h a v in g feen a la rg e animal
w i th h o rn s, th a t h e ffio r tly after, ta k in g fom e o f th em w i th h im as
gu id e s , fe t o f f to fe e k th em , b u t re tu rn ed w ith o u t fuc cefs, n o t h a v in
g met w ith a n y trace th a t co u ld lead h im to fu p p o fe th e y m ig h t
e v e r be fou n d .
O n : the 4 th the B r ita n n ia re tu rn ed from th e C ap e o f G o o d
H o p e , h a v in g be en ab fent f ix mon th s and th re e d ay s . M r . R a v e n
b ro u g h t aliv e to his em p lo y e r s , one fta llio n , tw e n ty -n in e mares,
three fillies, and tw e lv e ffieep. H e failed from th e C ap e w i th
fo r ty mares on b o a r d ; b u t th o fe th a t d ied w e r e th e w o r ft , and
h ad no t been k e p t up lo n g en o u gh on d r y fo od before, th e y we re
embarked.
I t w a s e v id en t, o n v ifitin g th e fh ip , th a t e v e r y attention had
been paid to th e ir a c com m o d a tio n ; b u t h orfes w e r e g e n e ra lly fu p p o fed
3 g be tte r