Page:Some account of the wars, extirpation, habits.djvu/57

Rh The survivor of the rencontre that took place, seems all along to have had some suspicious of the sincerity of Musquito, that were engendered partly by his overacting his part of a friendly visitor, and partly by his everlasting intrusions into the hut, the black eating like a wolf of Radford's provisions, at every visit.

The day before the arrival of the natives, an invalid servant belonging to the establishment of Mr. George Meredith, of Oyster Bay, who was just discharged from the Hobart Town Hospital, and was journeying homewards, arrived at Gatehouse's farm hut; but being still weakly, he was unable to proceed further without a day or two of rest, after travelling sixty miles of one of the worst bush roads in Tasmania. The unfortunate fellow's request was granted directly, and he was admitted. He was William Hollyoak.

The blacks lingered about the premises, unoccupied except when at play, until 2 or 3 o'clock on Friday afternoon, when Musquito and most of his associates went away to hunt, or pretended to do so, but returned before dark, the chief uninvitedly supping with the stockmen of course.

The keen eye of the savage was everywhere, and soon informed him of Radford's means of defence, which consisted of a musket and fowling-piece, which the chief took down from the wall, and examined with the acumen of a connoisseur, and having replaced them, returned to his camp by the creek.

By daydawn of the fatal 15th of November, the blacks were all astir. The principal men of the tribe had by this time taken possession of the stock yard, where they had kindled a fire, round which they sat in earnest consultation, doubtlessly touching the attack they were about making on their white entertainers. The rest of the party, according to the evidence given at the trial, were "over the creek, where they had been at their diversions. The natives who were playing, might be 150 yards from the hut." The stockmen witnessed their games with some interest, in and Radford and Mammoa imprudently walked towards them, leaving the invalid at the hut with directions, if he followed them, to bring the guns. He, however, neglected the precaution and joined his friends, which some of the blacks seeing, slipped stealthily inside and secured their weapons unobserved by the three stockkeepers.

The first indication of active hostility was given by Musquito making prize of the shepherd's dogs, and nearly simultaneously by the rest of the natives marching on the hut. On observing the direction they were taking, Radford and Hollyoak ran for their arms but found them gone. By some artifice, Musquito had separated Mammoa from the others, and he re-joined them no more. The natives were at the door directly afterwards, all