Читать книгу The Story of the Blacks - Charles White - Страница 6

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The old men of the tribes living in the vicinity of Botany Bay and Port Jackson were doubtless still occasionally talking of Cook's visit when the First Fleet, under the command of Governor Phillip, made its appearance off the Australian coast; for eighteen years only had intervened, and it was a circumstance which they were not likely to easily forget.

At the very first landing of Governor Phillip on the shore of Botany Bay (January 18th, 1788) an interview with the natives took place. They were all armed, but on seeing the Governor approach with signs of friendship, alone and unarmed, they readily returned his confidence by laying down their weapons. Presents offered by the visitors were readily accepted, and no hostility was shown by the natives while the vessel remained in the bay—thanks, no doubt, to the humane conduct of Cook's people previously, and the friendly overtures of the Governor and his party.

The next interview took place in Sydney Cove, when Phillip had gone round to Port Jackson in search of better quarters. Stockdale describes this meeting in his account of Phillip's voyages. The party of natives appeared near the landing place, being "armed with lances and very vociferous"; but gentle means inspired confidence, and the Governor induced one of the men to accompany him to the spot on the beach where the boatmen were boiling their meat. He examined the pot and its contents critically, and the Governor contrived to make him understand that a large shell might be used instead of a pot, so that he and his countrymen could boil their meat as well as broil it. It was observed that the natives always carried with them from place to place, and even in their canoes, a piece of lighted wood, "their notions of kindling a fire being very imperfect and laborious." Twenty of the natives waded into the water when they perceived the boats passing near a point of land in the harbour, and the Governor was so impressed by their confidence and manly behaviour that he named the place "Manly Cove." During the preparations for dinner they became very troublesome, however, and Phillip drew a circle round the place, and without difficulty made them understand that they must not cross the line—"another proof," says Stockdale, "how tractable these people are when no insult or injury is offered, and when proper means are employed to influence the simplicity of their minds."

The account by Captain Tench, who accompanied Governor Phillip, and which appeared in the London "Historical Magazine," 1789, is remarkably interesting. Among other things he says:—

"Owing to the lateness of our arrival, it was not my good fortune to go on shore until three days after this had happened, when I met with a party to the south side of the harbour, and had scarcely landed five minutes when we were met by a dozen Indians, naked as at the moment of their birth, walking along the beach. Eager to come to a conference, and yet afraid of giving offence, we advanced with caution towards them; nor would they, at first, approach nearer to us than the distance of some spaces. Both parties were armed; yet an attack seemed as unlikely on their part as we knew it to be on our own. I had at this time a little boy, of not more than seven years of age, in my hand. The child seemed to attract their attention very much, for they frequently pointed to him and spoke to each other; and as he was not frightened, I advanced with him towards them, and at the same time baring his bosom and showing the whiteness of his skin. On the cloaths being removed they gave a loud exclamation; and one of the party, an old man, with a long beard, hideously ugly, came close to us. I bade my little charge not be afraid, and introduced him to the acquaintance of this uncouth personage. The Indian, with great gentleness, laid his hand on the child's hat, and afterwards felt his cloaths, muttering to himself all the while. I found it necessary, however, by this time to send away the child, as such a close connection rather alarmed him; and in this, as the conclusion verified, I gave no offence to the old gentleman. Indeed, it was but putting ourselves on a par with them; as I had observed, from the first, that some youth of their own, though considerably older than the one with us, were kept back by the grown people. Several more now came up, to whom we made various presents, but our toys seemed not to be regarded as very valuable; nor would they for a long time make any returns to them, though, before we parted, a large club, with a head almost sufficient to fell an oxen, was obtained in exchange for a looking-glass. These people seemed at a loss to know (probably from our want of beards) of what sex we were, which having understood, they burst into the most immoderate fits of laughter, talking to each other at the same time with such rapidity and vociferation as I had never before heard. After nearly an hour's conversation by signs and gestures, they repeated several times the word "Whurra," which signifies "Be gone," and walked away from us to the head of the bay."

The amicable relationship subsisting between the colonizing party and the natives was, however, not of long duration. The Governor returned to Botany Bay to find that two ships flying French colours had followed them into Australian waters, and he at once rightly conjectured that these were the two vessels which had been sent out from France some time previously on a voyage of discovery, under the conduct of La Perouse. During their short stay in the Bay the Frenchmen fell foul of the aborigines, and used fire-arms against them, thus destroying the friendly intercourse which had been established by Phillip, who had firmly resolved that, whatever differences might arise, nothing but the most absolute necessity should ever induce him to fire upon them. Referring to this act of the Frenchmen, Stockdale says:—

"This affair, joined to an ill-behaviour of some of the convicts, who, in spite of all prohibitions, and at the risk of all consequences, have wandered out amongst them, has produced a shyness on their parts which it has not yet been possible to remove. Their dislike to the European is probably increased by discovering that they intend to remain among them, and that they interfere with them in some of their best fishing places, which doubtless are, in their circumstances, subjects of very great importance. Some of the convicts who have straggled into the woods have been killed and others dangerously wounded by the natives, but there is great reason to suppose that in these cases the convicts have usually been the aggressors."

Tench also has something to say concerning the altered conditions:—

"On first setting foot in the country, we were inclined to hold the spears of the natives very cheap. Fatal experience has, however, convinced us that the wound inflicted by this weapon is not a trivial one; and that the skill of the Indians in throwing it is far from despicable. Besides more than a dozen convicts who have unaccountably disappeared, we know that two who were employed as rush cutters up the harbour, were (from what cause we are yet ignorant) most dreadfully mangled and butchered by the natives. A spear had passed entirely through the thickest part of the body of one of them, though a very robust man, and the skull of the other was beaten in. Their tools were taken away, but some provisions which they had with them at the time of the murder, and their cloaths, were left untouched. In addition to this misfortune, two more convicts, who were peacefully engaged in picking of greens, on a spot very remote from that where their comrades suffered, were unawares attacked by a party of Indians, and before they could effect their escape, one of them was pierced by a spear in the hip, after which they knocked him down and plundered his cloaths. The poor wretch, though dreadfully wounded, made shift to crawl off, but his companion was carried away by these barbarians, and his fate doubtful, until a soldier, a few days afterwards, picked up his jacket and hat in a native's hut, the latter pierced through by a spear. We have found that these spears are not made invariably alike, some of them being barbed like a fish gig, and others simply pointed. In repairing them they are no less dexterous than in throwing them. A broken one being given by a gentleman to an Indian, he instantly snatched up an oyster shell, and converted it with his teeth into a tool, with which he presently fashioned the spear, and rendered it fit for use; in performing this operation, the sole of his foot served him as a work-board."

Shortly after forming the settlement at Port Jackson, the Governor set out on an exploring expedition along the coast to the north of Sydney Heads, and several interviews took place with the natives, who evinced a friendly disposition, on many occasions meeting them on the shore and proffering assistance to the strangers, whose advent they celebrated in native song. The party then made their first attempt to get inland, but did not encounter any natives, although they frequently came across abandoned camps. The huts were described by Tench as consisting of several pieces of bark, about "eleven feet in height and from four to six in breadth, bent in the middle while fresh from the tree, and set up so as to form an acute angle, not a little resembling cards set up by children. It was conjectured that the chief use of these imperfect structures might be to conceal them from the animals for which they must frequently be obliged to lie in wait. They may also afford shelter from a shower of rain for one or two who sit or lie under them." He also noted the cuts in the bark made for climbing, and holes in the trees from which some animal (the opossum) had evidently been taken. "In all these excursions of Governor Phillip," says he, "and in the neighborhood of Botany Bay and Port Jackson, the figures of animals, of shields and weapons, and even of men have been carved upon the rocks, roughly indeed, but sufficiently well to ascertain very fully what was the object intended. Fish were very often represented, and in one place the form of a large lizard was sketched out with tolerable accuracy. On the top of one of the hills, the figure of a man in the attitude usually assumed by them when they begin to dance, was executed in superior style." And this early historian observes in closing this part of his narrative, "had these men been exposed to a colder atmosphere, they would doubtless have had clothes and houses before they attempted to become sculptors!"

Shortly after the formation of the settlement, Captain Hunter, who commanded the "Sirius" frigate in the first fleet and succeeded Governor Phillip in the government of the colony, was employed in making a survey of the harbor, and while prosecuting this work he was brought into frequent contact with the natives, in whom he appears to have taken a kindly interest, following the good example set by Phillip. In 1793 Captain Hunter published in England "An Historical Account of transactions at Port Jackson," and the pages devoted in this work to details concerning the character and habits of the blacks are not by any means the least interesting. "We saw them," says he "in considerable numbers, and they appeared to us to be a very lively and inquisitive race; they are a straight, thin, but well-made people, rather small in their limbs, but very active; they examined with the greatest attention, and expressed the utmost astonishment at the different covering we had on; for they certainly considered our clothes so many different skins, and the hat as part of the head; they were pleased with such trifles as we had to give them, and always appeared cheerful and in good humor; they danced and sung with us and imitated our words and motions, as we did theirs. I signified to the men that we had observed the women, and that I wished to make them some presents if they might be permitted to come forward and receive them. The men seemed unwilling to suffer them to advance; for we had observed that they took particular care on every occasion to keep the women at a distance, and I believe wholly from an idea of danger. They desired to have the presents for the women, and they offered to carry and deliver them, but to this proposal I positively refused to agree, and made them understand that unless they were allowed to come forward they should not have any. Finding I was determined, an old man who seemed to have the principal authority, directed the women to advance, which they did immediately, with much good humor; and during the whole time that we were decorating them with beads, rags of white linen, and some other trifles, they laughed immoderately, although trembling at the same time through the idea of danger. Most of those we saw at this time were young women who I judged were from eighteen to twenty-five years of age; they were all perfectly naked as when first born.

"The women in general are well-made, not quite so thin as the men, but rather smaller limbed. As soon as the women were ordered to approach us, about twenty men, whom we had not before seen, sallied from the wood, completely armed with lance and shield. They were painted with red and white streaks all over the face and body, as if they intended to strike terror by their appearance. Some of them were painted with a little degree of taste, and although the painting on others appeared to be done without any attention to form, yet there were those who, at a small distance, appeared as if they were accoutred with cross-belts. Some had circles of white round their eyes, and several a horizontal streak across the forehead; others again had narrow white streaks around the body, with a broad line down the middle of the back and belly, and a single streak down each arm, thigh and leg. These marks, being generally white, gave the person at a small distance, a most shocking appearance; for upon the black skin the white marks were so very conspicuous that they were exactly like so many moving skeletons, The colors they use are mostly red and white; the first of which is a kind ochre or red earth, which is found here in considerable quantities; the latter is a fine pipeclay. The bodies of the men are much scarified, particularly about the breasts and shoulders. These scarifications are considerably raised above the skin, and although they are not in any regular form, yet they are certainly considered as ornamental. The men, thus armed and painted, drew themselves up in a line on the beach and each man had a green bough in his hand, as a sign of friendship. Their disposition was as regular as any well-disciplined troops would have been, and this party, I apprehend, was entirely for the defence of the women, if any insult had been offered them. We also observed at this interview, that two very stout armed men were placed upon a rock, near to where our boats lay, as sentinels; for they never moved from the spot until we left the beach; I therefore suppose they were ordered there to watch all our motions. We left these people after a visit of about four hours, both parties apparently well satisfied with all that passed."

Stockdale cites a case in which two parties of natives, numbering in all about two hundred, had a bloodless battle with spears; and he contradicts an assertion that had been made that the natives had no fishing nets. "Some smart nets have been brought over," he says, "the manufacture of which is very curious. The twine of which they are made appears to be composed of the fibres of flax plant with very little preparation; it is very strong, heavy, and so admirably well twisted as to have the appearance of the best whipcord. Governor Phillip mentions having had lines of their manufacture, "which were made of the fur of some animal, and others that appear to be of cotton. The meshes of their nets are formed of large hoops, very artificially inserted into each other, but without any knots"."

Concerning their adornments and clothing, he says:—

"They have very few ornaments, except those which are impressed upon the skin itself, or laid on in the manner of paint. The men keep their beards short, it is thought, by scorching off the hair, and several of them at the first arrival of our people seemed to take great delight in being shaved. They sometimes hang in their hair the teeth of dogs, and other animals, the claws of lobsters, and several small bones, which they fasten there by means of gum; but such ornaments have never been seen upon the women. Though they have not made any attempt towards clothing themselves, they are by no means insensible to the cold, and appear to dislike the rain very much. During a shower they have been observed to cover their heads with pieces of bark, and to shiver exceedingly. Governor Phillip was convinced by these circumstances that clothing would be very acceptable to them if they could be induced to come enough among the English to learn the use of it. He has therefore applied for a supply of frocks and jackets to distribute among them, which are to be made long and loose, and to serve for either men or women. The bodies of these people in general smell strongly of oil, and the darkness of their colour is much increased by dirt. But though in these points they shew such little delicacy, they are not without emotions of disgust when they meet with strong effluvia to which their organs are unaccustomed. One of them, after having touched a piece of pork, held out his fingers for his companions to smell, with strong marks of distaste."

With the object of ascertaining how they disposed of their dead, the Governor caused one of the mounds which he observed in several places to be opened, and therein was found a few incinerated bones, which led him to the conclusion that the bodies were burned before burial.

Conciliation by any and every means was the Governor's policy, but in one of his despatches to the Home Secretary he said he almost despaired of getting any of them to remain among his people sufficiently long to learn the language, except by constraint. His aim was to induce the natives to adopt the implements and arts of the Europeans, declaring that "it is undeniably certain that to teach the shivering savage how to clothe his body, and to shelter himself completely from the cold and wet, and to put into the hands of men ready to perish for one-half of the year with hunger the means of procuring constant and abundant provision, must be to confer upon them benefits of the highest value and importance."

This was certainly an ambition worthy of the humane governor who entertained it. Phillip, in all his dealings with the natives, was moved by the noblest impulses; and if his scheme for their physical and moral regeneration could have been properly carried out, many of the sad chapters of wrong and suffering and death in the history of the Australian aborigines would certainly have never been written. But the governor's philanthropic efforts on their behalf were rendered futile by the actions of the wearers of the coats of red and blue and yellow, who only saw in the black women objects upon which they could gratify their insensate lust, and in the black men a sort of dangerous wild animal whose speedy extermination was the best possible thing that could happen. Before I have finished this story it will be seen how fully lust and violence have accomplished their deadly work.

Not a little alarm was occasioned among the white population during April of 1789, by the discovery that small-pox had broken out among the aborigines, and was killing them off in numbers. The dead bodies of many of the natives were discovered in various places about the shores of the harbour and in the bush, and upon two sick children and an adult male being brought, by the Governor's orders, to the camp, the medical officer without hesitation pronounced the disease under which they were suffering to be small-pox. The colonists were as much surprised as alarmed at the appearance of this dreadful scourge so suddenly among the natives; but the natives themselves showed they had had some previous experience of a similar nature, as they called the disease "gal-gal la." They could not have contracted the disease on this occasion from the whites, seeing that it had not made its appearance among them, and fortunately did not subsequently, although it raged with great virulence among the natives, who had been prepared for pestilence by dearth of food, and who fell easy victims to the spotted curse. The two black children taken in hand by the Governor recovered, but the adult died; and it was remarked as a most singular thing, that while all the whites escaped the contagion, it seized a North American Indian who happened to be employed on board the supply, and speedily carried him off. Hundreds of the aborigines were carried off by the dreadful scourge, and the remainder who had come in contact with the colonists without hesitancy laid this extra calamity at the doors of the invaders, and became still more bitter against them. It may be remarked, en passant, that more than three quarters of a century after this a similarly disastrous visitation fell upon the black race in one of the South Sea Islands—Fiji—and depopulated whole villages.

One very pathetic story is related by Hunter, as occurring three months after the outbreak, and when the Governor was on an expedition up the Hawkesbury River. When at the south branch of Broken Bay "a native woman was discovered concealing herself from our sight, in the long grass, which was at this time very wet, and I should have thought very uncomfortable for a poor naked creature. She had, before the arrival of our boats at this beach, been with some of her friends, employed fishing for their daily food, but were upon their approach alarmed, and they had all made their escape except this miserable girl, who had just recovered from the small-pox and was very weak, and unable, from a swelling in one of her knees, to get off to any distance; she therefore crept off and concealed herself in the best manner she could among the grass, not twenty yards from the spot on which we had placed our tents. She appeared to be about seventeen or eighteen years of age, and had covered her debilitated and naked body with the wet grass, having no other means of hiding herself. She was very much frightened upon our approaching her, and shed many tears, with piteous lamentations; we soothed her distress a little, and the sailors were immediately ordered to bring up some fire, which we placed before her; we pulled some grass, dried it by the fire, and spread it round her to keep her warm; then we shot some birds, such as hawks, crows, and gulls, skinned them, and laid them out on the fire to broil, together with some fish, which she ate; we then gave her water, of which she seemed very much in want, for when the word "baa-do" was mentioned, which was their expression for water, she put her tongue out to shew how dry her mouth was. Before we retired for the night we saw her again, and got some firewood laid within her reach with which she might in the course of the night recruit her fire; we also cut a large quantity of grass, dried it, covered her well, and left her to her repose, which from her situation, I judge was not very comfortable or refreshing. Next morning we visited her again; she had now got pretty much the better of her fears, and frequently called to her friends, who had left her, and who, we knew, could be at no great distance from her; she repeated their names in a very loud and shrill voice, and with much anxiety and concern for the little notice they took of her entreaties to return; for we imagined, in all she said when calling on them, she was informing them that the strangers were not enemies, but friends; however, all her endeavours to bring them back were ineffectual while we remained with her; but we were no sooner gone from the beach than we saw some of them come out of the wood; and as there were two canoes on the shore belonging to this party, they launched one into the water and went away." On a subsequent visit the party found with the woman a two-year-old female child, who had lost the two first joints of the little finger of the left hand, the amputation having evidently been made in some rite of the tribe.

The death from small-pox of the only adult male black who had become attached to the vice regal establishment was considered a calamity, as it was most necessary that some of the natives should be trained as interpreters, in order that communication with their countrymen could be carried on without difficulty. Early in 1790 Governor Phillip succeeded after several fruitless attempts, in capturing two young men from one of the coastal tribes. They were taken to the settlement where the two children who had survived the small-pox assured them of kind treatment and safety. Quarters were provided for them near the Governor's house, and as they were very wild they were chained up until they should grow accustomed to their new quarters; but chains were strange things to men who all their life had been used to free roaming in the woods, and they naturally kicked against the pricks. Ever on the look out for a chance to escape, they at last saw one, and evading their keeper made off into the bush with the fetters on their legs. Search for the runaways proved fruitless, and the boy and girl, who had recovered from their illness, declared that their countrymen would never return.

After the lapse of some time the Governor heard that they were at Manly Beach with a large number of their tribe, and he proceeded thither in hopes of inducing them to return. The company of blacks numbered several hundred, but in order to gain their confidence his Excellency left the boat and went amongst them quite unarmed. One of the runaways, named Bennilong, promised to return in two days, and expressed a desire to introduce the Governor to his friends in the usual formal manner. To this his Excellency cheerfully assented, but his pacifying experiment came near to costing him his life. At this time he was surrounded by 20 or 30 natives, and on Bennilong pointing out one of the number standing near, the Governor thinking he wished to be introduced, stepped towards him. Thinking that his own safety was endangered the black immediately lifted a spear with his toes and fixing his throwing stick darted it at the Governor, with the result thus described by Captain Hunter:—

"The spear entered the Governor's right shoulder, just above the collar-bone, and came out about 3 inches lower down behind the shoulder blade. Mr. Waterhouse, who was close beside the Governor at the time, supposed that it must be mortal, for the spear appeared to him to be much lower down than it really was, and supposed from the number of armed men that it would be impossible for any of the party to escape to the boat. He turned round immediately to return to the boat, calling to the boat's crew to bring up the muskets; the Governor also attempted to run towards the boat, holding up the spear with both hands to keep it off the ground; but, owing to its great length, the end frequently touched the ground and stopped him (it was about twelve feet long). Governor Phillip, in this situation, desired Mr. Waterhouse to endeavour if possible to take the spear out, which he immediately attempted, but observing it to be barbed, and the barb quite through, he saw it would be impossible to draw it quite out; he therefore endeavoured to break it but could not. While he was making this attempt another spear was thrown out of the wood, and took off the skin between Mr. Waterhouse's forefinger and thumb, which alarmed him a good deal. By this time the spears flew pretty thick, and while he was calling to the boat's crew the Governor attempted to pull a pistol out of his pocket, but the spears flew so thick that it was unsafe to stop; however, he got it out and fired it on the supposition that their knowing he had some firearms would deter them from any further hostility. The whole party got down to the boat without any further accident, and in two hours they arrived at the government house, when the surgeons were sent for. Mr. Balmain extracted the point of the spear and dressed the wound, and in six weeks the Governor was perfectly recovered."

And now the fruit of the Governor's previous kindness to Bennilong appeared. The young savage, who seemed to occupy a prominent position in the tribe, shortly after the occurrence made his way to headquarters and by every means in his power sought to impress the Governor and his party that the affair was the result of a misunderstanding on the part of the man who had thrown the spear, whose name he said was Willomering, and to whom he had administered a sound beating. The explanation was deemed satisfactory, and confidence between the whites and that particular tribe of blacks was for the time reestablished, the Governor making a second visit to the spot where the incipient tragedy took place, and distributed presents to the natives as a sign of his forgiveness and good feeling towards them. Subsequently Bennilong attached himself to the Governor's party, and together with another black named Yemmerrawannie, voluntarily accompanied Phillip on the voyage to England when he gave up his onerous Australian charge and returned thither.

When Governor Hunter arrived from England to assume the Governorship (January, 1795) he brought Bennilong with him. The civilized savage had learned—to use a later-day Australian term—to "put on side." On his first appearance he conducted himself with polished familiarity towards his sisters and other relations; but to his acquaintances he was distant and quite the man of consequence. He declared, in a tone and with an air that seemed to expect compliance, that he would no longer allow them to fight and cut each other's throats as they had done, and that he would introduce peace and brotherly love among them. He issued an order that when his countrymen visited him at Government House they must be somewhat more cleanly in their persons and less coarse in their manners; and he was greatly put out at the indelicacy of his sister Carangarang, who came in such haste from Botany Bay, with a little nephew on her back, that she left all her habiliments behind her. Bennilong had kept his eyes open in England, and had picked up not a few of the manners of the people among whom he moved, and with the instinctive mimicry of his race had come back to shew his countrymen how "white-fella behave it like that." At table he conducted himself with marked propriety, particularly when females were present. His dress appeared to be an object of no small concern with him, and it was generally thought that he had broken for ever with the primitive habits of his race. But, as with many Europeans, so with Bennilong—a woman caused his downfall. Shortly after his return he made enquiries for his wife, Goroobarrooboollo, and found that she was living with a half-civilized countryman who rejoiced in the patronymic of Carney. On producing a very fashionable rose-colored petticoat made of coarse material, accompanied with a gipsy bonnet of the same color, he induced her to desert Carney and place herself again under his protection. To the surprise of everyone, however, in a few days the dusky lady was seen walking about unencumbered with clothing of any kind; and Bennilong was missing. Inquiries were instituted and it was found that the husband and paramour had fought at Rose Bay, and that the latter had been badly beaten in the fight, Bennilong having chosen to follow his acquired English instincts and used his fists in true pugilistic fashion, much to the discomfiture and facial hurt of his opponent, who could not get a chance to use the spear and club with which he was armed, so quickly did the blows from Bennilong's bony fist rain upon his nose and eyes and ribs. Yet, after all, Carney proved best man, if winning the prize for which the battle was fought was the true test of prowess, for the fair and fickle Goroobarrooboollo re-transferred her affections to him, and the disconsolate husband was obliged to return to Government House alone. He appears to have found solace in the reflection that he had given his rival a full taste of British prize-ring physic, and was soon heard hinting that he would rest satisfied for a time without a wife, and at some future time make a better choice. But the domestic quarrel appears to have made civilised life distasteful to him, and his absence from headquarters became more frequent. When he went out to join his countrymen he left his clothes behind him, although he carefully resumed them on his return before paying his respects to the Governor.