Page:Australia, from Port Macquarie to Moreton Bay.djvu/271

 and soon after a Kempsey native, whom the sawyers had named "Major Lovatt," was transfixed with a spear, which apparently passed through his lungs. This concluded the fight; both the hostile parties now mingled together in the most friendly way; and the Yarra-Bandini tribe was even more anxious than the other, in their endeavours to alleviate the wounds of the dying man. My partner also rendered every assistance to him, but he expired in a few minutes. By a most extraordinary revulsion of feeling, the Kempsey blacks now became furiously enraged against the Tryal bay tribe, whose cause they had just espoused so actively.

Accordingly, under the pretence that an immense flock of ducks had settled on some lagoon down the river, the Kempsey natives, who are few in number, but more conversant with the customs of the whites than the others, succeeded in persuading some cedar dealers and sawyers at that place, to lend them some muskets, which they loaded with slugs, and they then proceeded down the river in a boat. The Tryal bay blacks, who were quite taken by surprise by this unusual manoeuvre, were soon worsted, and several of them were wounded by the shot, but none killed. Matters now became more complicated, for one of the Nambucca river tribes, being indignant at the treatment of their neighbours at Tryal bay, took part in the quarrel.

A week or two afterwards, being at Yarra-Bandini, a gin, who had been sent from our station on some