Discoveries in Australia Volume I Part 40

ARRIVE AT PORT ESSINGTON.

As soon as the boats were hoisted up, we made sail for Port Essington, and anch.o.r.ed there on the 15th of April.

It was our intention to have concluded this volume with Captain Stanley's narrative, but as the following account of the daring manner in which Mr.

Watson rescued the English boy from the savages of Timor Laut, has fallen into our hands, and as doubtless it was the cause of the strange and suspicious reception the Britomart's boats met with on their second visit to Oliliet, we here lay it before our readers:

MR. WATSON'S PROCEEDINGS AT TIMOR LAUT.

Mr. Watson had not been off the island long before his vessel, the schooner Essington, was surrounded by eleven armed canoes, for the purpose of attack. The chief wished Mr. Watson to go in and anchor, which he refused, but showed him that he was ready for defence in case of any outrage on their part. The chief, thinking he could entrap him, made signs of friends.h.i.+p, and Mr. Watson allowed him and his crew to come on board. The chief then said that a white man was on sh.o.r.e, and wished the master to go and fetch him off, which was refused. Mr. Watson then laid out an immense quant.i.ty of merchandise, which he said he would give for the white man, and desired the chief to send his canoe ash.o.r.e to fetch him; stating, however, that he would retain him on board till the white man came, and also, that if he was not immediately brought, he would either hang or shoot the chief, and he had rope prepared for the purpose, as also a gun. This manoeuvre had the desired effect on the chief, who immediately despatched his canoe to the sh.o.r.e. For three days and nights Mr. Watson was compelled to cruise off the island, the natives still refusing to bring off Forbes. Towards the close of the third day they brought off the boy, but would not put him on board until Mr. Watson placed the rope round the chief's neck, when they came alongside; and as the crew of the Essington were hoisting Forbes up the side of the vessel, the chief jumped overboard into his canoe. Mr. Watson made the chief come on board again, and told him that although he had deceived and wished to entrap him, yet he would show that the white men were as good as their word; and not only gave the chief the promised wares, but also distributed some to each of the other ten canoes. This line of conduct had a very good effect on the natives, who after receiving the goods expressed great joy, and as they were leaving kept up a constant cheer.

Forbes at first appeared in a savage state, but after a short time, stated the following particulars relative to the loss of the Stedcombe, and the ma.s.sacre of the crew: The Stedcombe, Mr. Barns, master, arrived off the coast in the year 1823. Mr. Barns* having left her in charge of the mate, he and two or three others went ash.o.r.e at Melville Island.

(*Footnote. When at Sydney, in 1838, I met Mr. Barns, who corroborated Forbes's account. J.L.S.)

The mate ran her into Timor Laut, and anch.o.r.ed; he then went ash.o.r.e with the crew, leaving the steward, Forbes, and another boy, on board. After they had been ash.o.r.e a short time, Forbes looked through a telescope to see what they were about, when he saw that the whole of the crew were being ma.s.sacred by the natives. He immediately communicated that fact to the steward, and advised him to unshackle the anchor, and run out to sea, as the wind was from the land. The steward told him to go about his business, and when he got on deck he found the vessel surrounded with canoes. The natives came on board and murdered the steward; Forbes and the other boy got up the rigging, and in consequence of their expertness the natives were unable to catch them, but at last made signs for them to come down, and they would not hurt them. They availed themselves of the only chance left them of saving their lives, and surrendered. They were immediately bound, and taken on sh.o.r.e; a rope was fastened to the s.h.i.+p, her cable slipped, and the natives hauled her ash.o.r.e, where she soon became a wreck. Forbes states that several Dutchmen had called at the island, to whom he appealed for rescue, but they all refused to interfere; and latterly, whenever any vessel hove in sight, he was always bound hand and foot, so that he should have no chance of escape. Both himself and the other boy had been made slaves to the tribes; his companion died about three years since. The poor fellow is still in a very bad state of health; the sinews of his legs are very much contracted, and he has a great number of ulcers all over his legs and body. Fortunately for Forbes, Mr. Watson had a surgeon on board the Essington, who immediately put him under a course of medicine, which, without doubt, saved his life; for, from the emaciated state in which he was received on board, it was impossible, without medical aid, that he could have survived much longer. Too much Fraise cannot be awarded to Mr.

Watson for his exertions in rescuing this lad.

APPENDIX.

LIST OF BIRDS,

COLLECTED BY THE OFFICERS OF H.M.S. BEAGLE,

DURING THE YEARS 1837 TO 1843.

IchthyiAetus leucogaster.

Ieracidea berigora.

Astur approximans, Vig. and Horsf.

Collocalia arborea.

Podargus humeralis, Vig. and Horsf.

Podargus phalaenoides, Gould.

Eurostopodus guttatus.

Merops ornatus, Lath.

Dacelo Leachii.

Dacelo cervina, Gould.

Halcyon macleayii, Jard. and Selb.

Alcyone azurea.

Dicrurus bracteatus, Gould.

Colluricincla cinerea, Gould.

Pachycephala gutturalis.

Pachycephala melanura, Gould.

Pachycephala pectoralis, Vig. and Horsf.

Pachycephala lanoides, Gould.

Artamus sordidus.

Cracticus destructor.

Cracticus argenteus.

Grallina Australis.

Graucalus melanops.

Graucalus albiventris.

Pitta Iris, Gould.

Oriolus viridis.

Cinclosoma punctatum, Vig. and Horsf.

Malurus Lamberti, Vig. and Horsf.

Malurus melanocephalus, Vig. and Horsf.

Malurus splendens.

Malurus brownii, Vig. and Horsf.

Stipiturus malachurus.

Cysticola exilis ?

Ephthianura albifrons.

Sericornis frontalis.

Anthus pallescens.

Cincloramphus cruralis.

Mirafra ? ---- ?

Petroica multicolor.

Zosterops luteus.

Pardalotus punctatus.

Pardalotus uropygialis, Gould.

Dicaeum hirundinaceum.

Amadina Lathami.

Amadina gouldiae, Gould.

Estrelda oculea.

Estrelda phaeton.

Estrelda annulosa, Gould.

Estrelda temporalis.

Donacola pectoralis, Gould.

Donacola flaviprymna, Gould.

Emblema picta, Gould.

Poephila acuticauda, Gould.

Rhipidura albiscapa, Gould.

Rhipidura isura, Gould.

Rhipidura motacilloides.

Seisura volitans.

Piezorhynchus nitidus, Gould.

Myiagra platyrostris.

Gerygone ---- (like G. albogularis).

Chlamydera nuchalis.

Cacatua galerita, Vieill.

Cacatua eos.

Calyptorhynchus macrorhynchus, Gould.

Platycercus brownii.

Melopsittacus undulatus.

Nymphicus novae-hollandiae.

Pezoporus formosus.

Trichoglossus swainsonii, Jard. and Selb.

Trichoglossus rubritorquis, Vig. and Horsf.

Trichoglossus versicolor, Vig.

Climacteris melanura, Gould.