Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 2.djvu/48

 32 THE FAMINE OF 1789-90. ^'^ at Government Honse, contained the stereotyped request, "Bring '^ Please brinff your own bread."* As to the want of other your own. bread." necessaries of the commonest kind, we could not have a more telling instance than the naive remark made by Phillip in one of his despatchest : — ^^'Two or three hundred iron fryingpans Unmans. ^^ ^® * saviug of spadcs.^' When the people were obliged to use spades instead of fryingpans, hardly any better proof could be furnished of the low condition to which the com- missariat had been reduced. In fact, so great was the dearth of cooking-utensils, and even of spades, that some of the convicts, rather than wait until their turn came for the use of a make-shift fryingpan, ate their food raw, and died in consequence. One of the noteworthy incidents that occurred during this BonnUong— trying time was the escape of Bennilong, the native, who had been captured in November, 1789, and had been living under friendly restraint at Government House. He was a great favourite with Phillip, and afterwards became quite domesticated. He had been carefully watched, as his deter- mination to get away, if he could, was well known; but one night he eluded the vigilance of his custodians and his escape ; made ofE iuto the bush. Love of liberty alone would doubt- less have impelled him to make his escape, but his desire for freedom was sharpened by the impoverished state of the public larder. The natives are great eaters, and Bennilong was no exception to the rule. Southwell, in one of his letters, wrotej : — '^ ^Tis certain he can manage the share of six men with great ease at one meal." The half -ration which he received at this time in common with every other hifl appetite; person at the settlement must have seemed to the voracious savage nothing better than a hollow mockery. A week's allowance. Tench says, was insufficient to have kept him for a day. "The deficiency was supplied by fish, whenever . * Tench, Complete Aocoont, p. 42. Historical Becords, rol. ii, p. 710. t Historical Beoords, toL i, part 2, p. 656. X Historical Becords, toI. ii, p. 709.