Matters Had Proceeded In This Friendly Train For More Than Half An Hour,
When A Native, With A Spear In
His hand, came forward, and stopped
at the distance of between twenty and thirty yards from the place where
the
Governor, Mr. Collins, Lieutenant Waterhouse, and a seaman stood.
His excellency held out his hand, and called to him, advancing towards him
at the same time, Mr. Collins following close behind. He appeared to be
a man of middle age, short of stature, sturdy, and well set, seemingly
a stranger, and but little acquainted with Baneelon and Colbee. The nearer
the governor approached, the greater became the terror and agitation
of the Indian. To remove his fear, governor Phillip threw down a dirk,
which he wore at his side. The other, alarmed at the rattle of the dirk,
and probably misconstruing the action, instantly fixed his lance
in his throwing-stick*.
[*Such preparation is equal to what cocking a gun, and directing it
at its object, would be with us. To launch the spear, or to touch the trigger,
only remains.]
To retreat, his excellency now thought would be more dangerous than to advance.
He therefore cried out to the man, Weeeree, Weeree, (bad; you are doing wrong)
displaying at the same time, every token of amity and confidence.
The words had, however, hardly gone forth, when the Indian, stepping back
with one foot, aimed his lance with such force and dexterity, that striking*
the governor's right shoulder, just above the collar-bone, the point
glancing downward, came out at his back, having made a wound
of many inches long.
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