In the course of this interview, they had stopped near a spear which was lying on the grass, and which Bannelong took up; it was longer than common, and appeared to be a very curious one, being barbed and pointed with hard wood; this exciting Governor Phillip's curiosity, he asked Bannelong for it; but instead of complying with this request, he took it where the stranger was standing, threw it down, and taking a common short spear from a native who, with several others, stood at some distance behind him, he presented that and a club to the governor, which gave reason to suppose that the spear which had been asked for did not belong to him. As Governor Phillip advanced towards the man whose fears he wished to remove, he took up the spear in question, and fixing it in a throwing-stick, appeared to stand on his defence; but as there was no reason to suppose he would throw it without the least provocation, and when he was so near those with whom our party were on such friendly terms, the governor made a sign for him to lay it down, and continued to approach him, at the same time repeating the words--weree weree, which the natives use when they wish any thing not to be done that displeases them.
Notwithstanding this, the native, stepping back with his right leg, threw the spear with great violence, and it struck against Governor Phillip's collar bone, close to which it entered, and the barb came out close to the third vertebrae of the back. Immediately after throwing the spear, the native ran off, as did Bannelong and Colebe, with those that were standing to the right and left; and the latter, in their retreat, threw several spears, which, however, did no farther mischief.
As bringing any arms on shore would probably have prevented an interview taking place, the musquets had been left in the boat; but the governor having a pistol in his pocket, he discharged it as he went down to the beach, as several of the natives stopped at no great distance, and the cockswain coming up at the same instant, fired a musquet, though there was no reason to apprehend the natives meant to molest them any farther.
The conduct of this savage may be supposed to do away any idea that had been formed of the natives not abusing a confidence placed in them; and yet, there is no great reason to draw that inference from the accident just mentioned; for, it should be remembered that the man who wounded Governor Phillip was a stranger, and might fear their taking him away, as they had carried off others; against which he might not think their numbers a sufficient security; besides, he had not joined the party, nor probably thought the friendship, which-subsisted between them and others of a different tribe, any way binding on him; for it is supposed the different tribes are in every respect perfectly independant of each other. This man had stood for some time peaceably and quietly, and the governor certainly was more in his power before he went to call the officers out of the boat, than at the time the spear was thrown; it is therefore most likely that the action proceeded from a momentary impulse of fear; but the behaviour of Bannelong on this occasion is not so easily to be accounted for; he never attempted to interfere when the man took the spear up, or said a single word to prevent him from throwing it; he possibly did not think the spear would be thrown, and the whole was but the business of a moment.
A few minutes before this affair happened, nineteen of the natives had been counted round our party, and the position they took showed their judgment: on the ground where Bannelong and Colebe joined them, the trees stood at the distance of forty or fifty feet from each other, and, had the natives kept together, shelter might have been found from their spears behind a tree; but whilst four of them remained in front, at the distance of forty yards, four or five others placed themselves on the right, and the same number on the left, at about the same distance; others again were planted between them and the beach, at the distance of ten or fifteen yards, which rendered it impossible either to carry off their companions or to gain shelter from their spears, if hostilities commenced; and though these people do not always keep their spears in their hands, they are seldom without their throwing-sticks, and generally have a spear lying near them in the grass, which they move with their feet as they change their ground: however, it is not likely that this disposition was made with any bad intention, but merely as a security for Bannelong and Colebe; indeed, these men directed the manoeuvre and waited till it was made, before they came near enough to shake hands.
It may naturally be supposed that many would be desirous of punishing what was generally deemed an act of treachery, but Governor Phillip did not see the transaction in that light, and as soon as he arrived at Sydney, he gave the necessary directions to prevent any of the natives being fired on, unless they were the aggressors, by throwing spears; and, in order to prevent the party who were out on a shooting excursion from meeting with an attack of a similar nature, an officer and some soldiers were sent after them: they returned the next day, and coming by the place where the accident happened, some of the natives appeared on an eminence; on their being asked who had wounded the governor, they named a man, or a tribe, who resided to the northward: the boy, Nanbarre, was their interpreter, and he said the man's name was Caregal, and that he lived at, or near Broken-Bay. Nanbarre was also directed to enquire after Bannelong and Colebe, and those to whom the question was put, pointed to some people at a distance.
One of these natives threw a spear to an officer who asked for it, and this he did in such a manner that very particularly marked the care he took it should not fall near any person.
It may be thought remarkable that, after what had happened, the natives should appear in the fight of seventeen armed men; and what was more extraordinary, the cockswains of the two boats which lay at anchor all night near the beach, with several soldiers in them, said, that after the party they landed were gone off, the natives returned, made up some fires, and slept there all night; but, as the officer who went to bring home the party that were out a shooting, found by the marks on the sand, when he was returning the next morning, that he had been followed by three men and a dog, it is probable that they had others looking out likewise, and had the boats approached the beach in the night, they would have immediately fled into the woods.
It was Governor Phillip's intention, as soon as he should be able to go out, to endeavour to find Bannelong, and, if possible, to have the man given up who wounded him, or some of his tribe; not with a view of inflicting any punishment, but of detaining one or more of these people till they understood each other's language.
Some days after this affair, as several officers were going down the harbour, they saw some natives, and amongst them Bannelong and his wife; on this, the boat's head was put to the rocks, and he came down, shook hands with several of the party, and enquired if the governor was dead; they told him no; on which he promised to come and see him; said he had beat the man who wounded him, and whose name he told them was Wil-le-me-ring, of the tribe of Kay-yee-my, the place were the governor was wounded.