[» 795-
t r i f t b e lo n g in g to g o v e rnm en t, th e e x p en c e o f c o n v e y in g th e ir gra in
from thenoe to this part o f th e fettlement rendered it ab fo lu te ly ne-
eeffary- that th e y fh o u ld low e r th e ir prices ; o th e rw ife th e y muft be at
th a t exp ên c e themfelves., and b r in g th e ir fu rp lu s co rn to mark et e ither
a t S y d n e y o r Parramatta, w h e re g o v e rnm en t had flo re s w h e re in to dép
o lit it, and w h e re o n ly the com m iffa ry could be p ermitted to receive it.
. A rep or t from th e r iv e r w a s cu r ren t about this time , that the nativ
e s had a flem b led in a la rg e b o d y , and attacked a few fettlers w h o
had ch o fen farms lo w d ow n the r iv e r , and w ith o u t th e reach o f p ro -
t e û io n from th e o th e r fettlers, d r ip p in g them o f e v e r y ar ticle th e y
cou ld find in th e ir huts. A n armed p a r ty was d ired tly fent out, w h o ,
c om in g up w i th th em , k illed fo u r men and one w om an , b ad ly
w o u n d e d a ch ild , and to o k fo u r men prifoners. I.t m ig h t h a v e been
fu p p o fed that the fe p u niihm en ts , fo llow in g th e enormities fo im m e d
ia te ly , w o u ld hav e ta u g h t th e natives to k e ep at a greater d iftance ;
b u t n o th in g feemed to deter th em from p ro fe cu tin g th e re v en g e th e y
h ad v ow e d ag a in ft th e fettlers fo r th e in ju r ie s th e y had re c e iv ed at
th e ir hands.
A fa v a g e o f a darker h u e , and fu ll as fa r rem o ved from c lvilifa tion
b la c k Csefar, once m ore fled from h o n e d labou r to the w o o d s , th e re to
fu b fifl b y ro b b in g th e fettlers. It w a s h ow e v e r rep or ted , that h e had
d one on e meritorious a f t iö n , k il lin g P e -m u l-w y , w h o had ju d before
w o u n d e d C o llins (the native), fo d an g e rou fly , that his re c o v e r y w a s
a matter o f v e r y grea t d oubt w i th th e furgeons at our h o fp ita l, w h o fe
affid an ce C o llins had req u ed ed as fo on as h e w a s b ro u g h t in to tow n
b y h is friend s. A barbed fp ear had been d riv en in to his loins clofe b y
th e vertebrae o f th e b a ck , and w a s fo com p le te ly fix ed , th a t all the
efforts o f th e furgeon s to rem o ve it w ith , th e ir in d rum en ts w e r e in -
e ffe d u a l. F in d in g , a fte r a d a y o r tw o ,' th a t it cou ld n o t be difplaced
b y art, C o llins le ft th e h o fp ital determined to tru d to n a tu re^ . H e
w a s m uch ed e em ed b y e v e r y w h ite m an w h o k n ew h im , as w e ll on
* And he did not truft in vain. We faw him from time to time for lèverai weeks,
walking about with the fpear unmoved, even after fuppuration had taken place ; but at
laft heard that his wife, or one of his male friends, had fixed their teeth in thé wood
and drawn it out : after which he recovered, and. was able again to go into the field..
His wife 'War-re-weer (hewed by an uncommon, attention her great attachment to him. i
% accounts
a c cou n t o f his p erfoha l b ra v e r y , .o f w h ich w e h ad w itneffed m a n y d if-
tin g u ilh in g p roo fs , as on'.account o f a. g en tlen e is ... o f mannei s w h ic h
d r o n g ly mark ed his d ifp ofition, and Ihaded o f f the h arfhe r lines that
his u n c iv ilifed life n o w and then forced in to the fore -grou n d .
O n th e 2 7th the So v e re ign failed fo r B e n g a l ; and on th e laft d a y
o f th e y e a r the figna l fo r a fail was made at th e S o u th -h e a d ,. too late
in the d a y fo r it to be k n ow n w h a t o r w h en c e th e v e ffe l was.
T h e harv eft formed th e 'p r in c ip a l labour, th is .m o n th bo th p u b lic and
private. A t S y d n e y , another attempt b e in g made to fteal a c a lk o f
p o rk from th e p ile o f p ro v ifio n s w h ic h flo o d b e fo re the fto re -h ou fe ,
the whole was rem o ved in to one o f th e old marine barracks. T h e
fu ll ration o f fait p rov ifion s b e in g iffued to e v e r y o n e , it w a s difficult
to con c e ive w h a t could be th e in d u cem en t to the fe freq u en t and w a n to
n attacks on the p ro v ifio n s , w h en e v e r n e ce ffity com pe lled th e c om -
m iffa r y to truft a q u an tity w ith o u t th e ftore. Perhaps, h ow e v e r , it
w a s to g ra tify that ftro n g p ro p en fity to th ie v in g , w h ic h .co u ld no t
fu ffe r an o p p o r tu n ity o f e x e r c ifin g th e ir talents to pafs, o r to fu rn ilh
them w i th means o f in d u lg in g in the baneful v ic e o f g am in g .
A t the H aw k e fb u r y , in th e b e g in n in g o f th e m on th , an e x tra o r d
in a r y m e teo ro lo gica l p heeriomenon occurred . F o u r farms on th e
c r e e k named R u fe ’ s G re ek w e re to ta lly cu t up b y a fa ll, n o t o f h a il o r
o f fn ow , b u t o f large flakes o f ice. I t w a s ftated b y th e o fficer w h o
had the com m an d o f th e m ilita ry th e re , L ie u ten an t A b b o t t , th a t the-
ffiow e r paffed in a d ir e d io n N . W . ta k in g fu ch farms as fe ll w i th in its.
courfe. T h e e f fe f t w a s e x t r a o rd in a r y ; th e w h e a t th en Handing was.
beaten d ow n , the ears cu t o ff, and th e g ra in p e r f e d ly th re lh ed out..
O f th e In d ian co rn th e la rg e th ic k ftalks w e r e b ro k en , an d th e cobs
foun d lying- at th e . roots. A man w h o w a s to o fa r d iftant from a-
h ou fe to enter it in time w a s glad to tak e fhe lte r in the h o l lo w o f a-
tree. T h e Tides o f the trees w h ic h w e r e op p ofed to its fu r y appeared
as i f la rge fhot had b e en d ifeharged ag a in ft th em , and th e g ro u n d w a s
co v e red w i th fmall tw ig s from th e branches. O n that p art o f th e
race-ground w h ic h it croffed, the ftron g e r fhrubs w e r e all foun d cut to.
p ieces, w h ile the. w e a k e r , b y .y ield ing to the fto rm , w e r e o n ly beaten-
d ow n . .T h e .tw o fu c ce ed in g d a y s w e r e rem a rk a b ly m ild ; n o tw ith -
ftan d in g w h ich the ice remained on th e g ro u n d n e a r ly as la rg e a s
w h e n it fe ll . S om e flakes o f it w e r e ; b ro u g h t to L ie u ten an t A b b o t t
o a .