58
the treatment w h ic h one o f th e ir bre thren had re c e iv ed at th e clo fe o f
th e laft m on th . N e a r B o ta n y B a y th e y fe ll in w ith th e nativ e s, b a t
in a la rge r b o d y th an th e y e x p e c te d o r defired. A c c o rd in g to th e ir
rep o r t, th e y w e r e fifty in n um b e r ; b u t m u ch dependance w a s n o t
placed on w h a t th e y faid in th is refpedt, n or in th e ir narrative o f th e
a f f a i r ; it w a s ce rta in , h ow e v e r , th a t they; w e r e d riv en in b y th e
na tiv e s, w h o k illed one man and w o u n d ed fix 'o th e r s . Im m ed ia te ly
o n th is b e in g k n o w n in th e fettlem ent, an armed p a r ty w a s fen t out
w i th an o fficer , w h o fo u n d th e b o d y o f th e man th a t had been k illed ,
ftr ip p ed , and ly in g in the p ath to B o ta n y B a y . T h e y alfo fo u n d a
b o y , w h o had lik ew ife been ftr ipp ed and le ft fo r . dead b y th e natives.
H e w a s v e r y m u ch w o u n d e d , and his le ft ear n e a r ly cut o ff. T h e
p a r ty , after b u r y in g th e b o d y o f th e m an , re turn ed w i th the w ou n d ed
b o y , b u t w ith o u t fe e in g a n y o f th e p erpetrators o f this m i f c h ie f ; th e
o th e r w o u n d e d p eop le had re a ch ed the fettlem ent, and w e r e taken to
th e h o fpital. ’ T h e d a y fo llow in g , the g o v e rn o r , ju d g in g it h ig h ly
n e ce ffa ry to m ake ex am p le s o f the fe m ifgu id ed p e o p le , w h o h ad fo
d a r in g ly and fla g ra n tly bro k en th ro u g h e v e ry ord er w h ic h had be en
g iv e n to p re v en t th e ir in te r fe r in g w i th th e nativ es as to fo rm a p a r ty
e x p r e fs ly to m eet w i th and attack th em , d ire c ted that th o fe w h o w e r e
n o t w o u n d e d flhould re c e iv e each one h u n d re d and fifty , lalhes-, and
w e a r a fe tte r fo r a tw e lv em o n th ; th e lik e p u n ilhm en t w a s directed to
b e in flic ted u p on th o fe w h o w e r e in th e h o fpital, as fo cn as th e y Ihould
re c o v e r from th e ir w o u n d s ; in p urfuan ce o f w h ic h ord er, fe v en o f
th em w e r e tied u p in fro n t o f th e p ro v ifio n ftore,; and p unifhed ( fo r
e x am p le ’ s-fake) in th e p re fen ce o f all th e co n v ic ts . $
T h e fame d a y tw o armed parties w e r e fen t, on e tow a rd B o ta n y B a y ,
and th e o th e r in a different d ire c tio n , th a t th e natives m ig h t fee that
th e ir la te aCt o f v io len c e w o u ld n e ith e r intimid a te n o r p re v en t us from
m o v in g b e y o n d th e fettlement w h en e v e r o c c a fio n required.
S u ch w e r e o u r enemies a b r o a d : at h om e , w ith in ourfe lv e s , w e had
enemies to en counter o f a d ifferent nature, b u t in th e ir effects more
difficult to gu a rd againft. T h e gardens and houfes o f in d iv id u als, and
th e p ro v ifio n fto re , w e re o v e r ru n w i th rats. T h e fa fe ty o f th e p ro -
v ifio n s w a s an objecft o f g en e ra l con fequ en c e , and the com m iffa ry
w a s fo r fom e time em p lo y ed in e x am in in g in to th e ftate o f the ftore.
O n e
O n e m o rn in g , on g o in g ea r ly to th e fto re , h e fo u n d th e wa rd s o f a
k e y w h ic h h ad be en b ro k en in th e p ad lo ck th a t fecured the p r in c ip a l
d o o r , and w h ic h it w a s th e d u ty o f th e patroles to v if it and m fp e d
e v e r y n ig h t. E n te r in g the fto reh oufe , h e p e rce iv ed th a t an harnefs-
c a fk had be en opened and fome p ro v ifio n s ta k en out. I t b e in g fu p -
p ofed th a t the wa rd s o f th e k e y m ig h t lead to a d ifc o v e r y o f th e perp
e tra to r o f th is atrocious aCt, th e y w e r e fen t to a c o n v id b la c k fn u th ,
a n in gen iou s w o rkm a n th ro u g h w h o fe hands m o d o f the w o r k paffed
th a t w a s done in his lin e , w h o im m ed ia te ly k n ew th em to b e lon g to
a fo ld ie r o f the name o f H u n t , th e fame w h o in the courfe o f the p re c
e d in g m on th re c e ived fe v en h und red la lhes, and w h o h ad fom e time
b a c k b ro u g h t th e k e y to th is b la ck fm ith to be altered. O n th is in fo
rm a tio n , H u n t w a s tak en u p ; b u t o ffe r in g to g iv e fom e material
in fo rm a tion , h e w a s admitted an e v id e n c e ,o n th e p art o f th e c r ow n ,
and made an ample co n fe ffio n b e fo re the lie u ten an t-g o v e rn o r and th e
ju d g e -ad v o c a te , in w h ic h h e ac cufed f ix o th e r foldiers o f h a v in g been
con c e rn ed w i th h im in th e d iabolica l p r a d ic e o f ro b b in g th e ftore fo r
a confiderable tim e p aft o f liq u o r and p rov ifio n s in la rg e quantities.
T h is cr im e , grea t en o u g h o f itfe lf, w a s (till ag gra v a ted b y th e manner
in w h ic h it w a s committed . H a v in g fo rm ed th e ir p a r ty , fe v en in
n um be r, and fw o rn each other to fe c re c y and fid e lity , th e y p ro cu red
and altered k e y s to fit th e d ifferent lo c k s o n th e th re e d o ors o f the
p ro v ifio n ftore ; and it w a s ag re ed , th a t w h e n e v e r a n y one o f th e
fe v en Ihould b e p o lle d there as c e n t in e f d u r in g th e n ig h t, tw o o r m ore
o f th e g a n g , as th e y fo u n d it con v en ien t, w e r e to com e d u r in g th e
h o u r s in w h ic h th e y k n ew th e ir affocrate w o u ld h a v e th e ftore u n d e r
h is ch a rg e , w h e n , b y means o f th e ir k e y s , and ffieltered in th e fe c u r ity
w h ic h h e afforded th em , (b y b e t ra y in g in fo fla grant a m anner th e truft
and confid ence repofed in h im as a centin e l,) th e y Ihould open a
• paffage in to th e ftore, w h e r e th e y Ihould rem ain Ihut u p u n til th e y
h ad procured as-much liq u o r o r p rov ifio n s as th e y cou ld take o ff. I f
th e p a tro le s v ifited th e ftore w h ile th e y chanced to be w ith in its w a lls ,
the d o or w a s foun d lo ck ed and fe cu re , th e centin e l a le rt and v ig ila n t
on h is p o l l, and the ftore ap p a ren tly fafe.
F o r tu n a te ly fo r the fettlem ent, on th e n ig h t p re ced in g th e d ifc o v e r y
o n e . o f th e p a r ty intended to h a v e availed h im fe lf o f h is fitu a tion .a s
1 2 ... centin e l,