AFFRAY WITH THE NATIVES.
21. Attack of Natives near Kolaina Plains. Drawn on stone by George Barnard from a sketch by Frederick C. Smith, Esquire. M. and N. Hanhart, Lithographic Printers, 64 Charlotte Street, Rathbone Place.
I was occupied in sketching in a portion of the coastline, and whilst thus engaged I thought I saw the figures of two natives moving upon a hill a few hundred yards to the north of us; they appeared to me to be behind some low bushes which were close to the summit of this hill. I watched the bushes narrowly and felt nearly confident I saw them; but however to be sure beyond a doubt I got up and took my eyes from the spot for a few seconds whilst I walked to get my telescope. I then carefully examined the hill with the glass and could see nothing but the low bushes on it. "A pretty bushman I am," I thought to myself, "to be thus deceived with two old shrubs; I should have known a native better;" and with a feeling almost of annoyance at my mistake I resumed my seat on an inverted water-keg and went on with my drawing. Within a minute's time an alarm of natives was given, and starting up I saw from twenty to thirty on some sandhills to the north of us, distant about two hundred yards; their spears were fixed in their throwing-sticks and they evidently were prepared for a fray. I therefore ran to the boat for my gun, which Ruston tried to get out for me; and at this moment, on casting my eyes upwards, I saw a native start up on the sandbank not more than fifteen yards from Ruston and myself; he poised his spear for one second, and it then came whistling at us. I dodged and the spear flew past without my seeing what became of it. I instantly gave the order to watch the bank and to fire at anything that showed itself above it; and Mr. Walker now had got hold of his gun and very gallantly ran up the bank and occupied it: in the meantime the native who had thrown the spear caught up a bag in each hand and ran off. Several shots which were fired at the distant natives scraped up the sand so near them that they found it prudent to decamp as speedily as they could.
CHASE AFTER STOLEN GOODS.
I found that Ruston was wounded slightly in the knee by the spear which the native had thrown, and we had also sustained a severe loss in the bags which they had carried off as one of them contained fourteen fishing-lines and several other articles of great value to us in our present position. I therefore determined upon a pursuit in the hopes of recovering these, and taking four or five men I gave chase. The long-legged natives had however considerably the advantage of us both in bottom, wind, and cunning; and whenever they found we gained at all upon them they strewed a few articles out of the bags upon the ground, and these it took us some time to collect; and in this manner, alternately running and stopping to pick things up, I continued the pursuit until near sunset. At this time three of us had completely outrun the rest of our party, who were far behind; the natives had also latterly made great headway, so that they were rapidly dropping us astern; we also had recovered everything but the fishing-lines (which however we could but ill spare). I therefore determined to collect my forces and return to the boats. In the ardour of pursuit I found we had come five or six miles, and it had been for some time dark when we again reached the encampment.
The natives in this attack were far too few in number to render it a very formidable affair for from five-and-twenty to thirty savages, armed alone with spears, could have availed very little against eleven resolute Europeans with fire-arms in their hands. The native who had stolen so near us was however most decidedly a noble and daring fellow: their object evidently was to possess themselves of our property; and we had had one man wounded in the fray, and had lost some fishing-lines, without gaining any reparation. I therefore felt well assured that they would pay us another visit; and thus, to the misfortunes we were already suffering under, we had the new one added of being on hostile terms with the surrounding aborigines. It moreover set in to rain hard and to blow fresher than ever just as we reached the boats. I saw that all that could be done for Ruston had been attended to, and then, lying down, tried to forget my troubles in sleep.
CONTINUED DETENTION FROM FOUL WEATHER. DESOLATE AND GLOOMY SITUATION.
From this period up to Friday the 15th of March the wind blew strong from the southward, accompanied with such a heavy sea and tremendous surf that to move was impossible. Our position was very trying; inactivity, under the circumstances in which we were situated, was most difficult to support; for the mind, ever prone to prey upon itself, does so far more when you are compelled to sit down and patiently submit to misfortunes against which there are no means of resistance. Such was the state to which we were now reduced, on a barren and unknown coast which the foot of civilized man had never before trodden: many of my party were suffering acute bodily pain from the badness of the provisions on which they were compelled to subsist; the weakness of most of them, and myself amongst the number, precluded the possibility of any distant explorations being made, and we were kept in a constant state of watchfulness in order to prevent the natives from again surprising us; for they repeatedly showed themselves in our vicinity, hovering about with no friendly intentions. All that was left therefore for us was to sit upon the lonely beach, watching the winds and the waters until some favourable moment might enable us to get off and once more engage in that task of which so small a portion was as yet accomplished.