Page:Some account of the wars, extirpation, habits.djvu/53

Rh Of what has been recorded of our first acquaintance with this people, and of their early misunderstandings with the colonists, I shall say nothing here; nor even follow the fashionable practice of quotiug stale governmental proclamations about them (published, as I believe, for after effect only,) libelling the colonists, by describing them as very generally the originators of the many disputes that took place between the two races, but shall commence the task I have cut out for myself by gathering up the few scraps of intelligence I can discover, either of tribes or individuals, of whom any trace is left, who played a part in the outrages that followed the cessation of the partial intercourse that once subsisted between them, and which terminated much about fifty years ago, when it is that their history begins to be interesting.

Up to this time the appearances and some of the realities of friendship existed between one or two of the many tribes, into which the native population was split, and the settlers. But as the favourite hunting grounds of the former were contracted by the spread of settlement, and their occupation by stock, hostile collisions between black and white became more and more frequeut, and a petty war of assaults and reprisals was carried on, the black people having then, as, indeed, the very generally had the best of the fight. But still this did not put an end to all good understanding, for in some districts both sides continued to exhibit reciprocity of friendship, or, at least, of a civility.

But this intercourse, such as it was, was brought to a close by Colonel Arthur, who was quite as fond of maintaining order by making examples, as of administering the law with strict justice; and who, managing to catch four aboriginals during the war of attacks and reprisals then going on (each side being as bad as the other,) he, faithful to his practises, hanged them all. The acts, though much applauded at this time of general excitement against the old possessors of the land, have not always found favour with his commentators, one respectable writer, Henry Melville, maintaining that these men, being prisoners of war only, ought not to have suffered for acts justified in war time by the usages of all nations.

With the deaths of these four men the estrangement of the two races, which before was never more than temporary and partial, became complete, and all the fatally disastrous consequences that befell both races afterwards may be dated from these unfortunate occurrences.

But whatever were the sentiments of the white people at witnessing these most impolitic executions, they were viewed by the other race with surprise and horror. At first, however, they