Page:Diary of ten years.djvu/224

 206 survivor, his companion, about thirteeen. The arrest of Ya-gan was man's work! Boys unfortunately undertook it, without sufficient steadiness; they were frightened at their own act, discharged their guns injudiciously, and ran away, by which the life of one of them was sacrificed.

16th.—On Saturday I saw at Mr. Bull's the head of Ya-gan, which one of the men had cut off for the purpose of preserving. Possibly it may yet figure in some museum at home. I should have been glad to get it myself, as the features were not in the least changed. He must have died instantaneously. The other native was not yet dead when the party went to look after them; the accidental passing of two soldiers frightened the natives (it is supposed), or they would have carried off the bodies.

Ya-gan had a very particular mark of tatooing extending over his right shoulder and down his back, by which many of the settlers recognised him. He wore a soldier's old coat under his kangaroo clock, to hide this mark, as he had been often warned of his danger. This peculiar cicatrice was flayed from the body by the man who is preserving the head. I have rudely sketched this "caput mortuum" of Ya-gan, which was ornamented with a twisted cord round the forehead.

18th. After dinner went up to Mr. Bull's in a boat to get seed wheat for two acres, which I shall still be able to accomplish. I shall thus have eight acres of wheat, one of barley, one and a half of oats, and about the same quantity of potatoes, turnips, cabbages, &c., besides an acre and a quarter of lucerne. This will, I think, be ample for my supply. We want seed potatoes in the colony very much; they grow at any season of the year, but succeed best if planted in March and September. I tasted some excellent beer which Bull is brewing.

24th.—The shepherd and James sat up all last night in the sheepfold, watching the native dog, and determined to shoot it; yet, with all their watching, when daylight came,