Page:Some account of the wars, extirpation, habits.djvu/79

Rh "My exit from the hands of these savages was so sudden and so unexpected, that with all the vigilance (for which they are so remarkable) they scarcely saw me; and the effect produced on their credulous minds led them to believe that I was influenced by more than an ordinary spirit; to this superstitious notion may be attributed in a great measure the preservation of the people's lives. Failing in their attempt to kill me, they became suddenly dismayed, and the consequences that would ensue as a punishment caused them greatly to despond, on observing which, the strangers that now accompanied me reproached and taunted them. They would not nay-wid-ding-er (i.e., eat much), the num-mer (white man) would return with plenty of pur-da-bar (guns,) and kill them all.

"Whilst at the Arthur River, I entered into a parley with the hostile blacks across the river, and assured them that I had no bad feeling towards them—that I forgave them the attack they had made on my life;" and on giving them his usual assurances of protection, &c., two others swam the river and joined him.

But notwithstanding their despondency and dismay, they were greatly irritated at the desertion of any of their people to the enemy particularly their chief, Wyne, who, "putting himself in a menacing attitude, threatened to come over and murder us." Their terrors of the nummer and his purdabar had quite subsided, and Robinson had great difficulty, he says, to prevent a collision; and had his presence of mind failed him for a moment, the death of all was certain. But following the native custom, he sent up a a huge telegraphic smoke, as if signalling for the assistance of his whites, on observing which the natives went away, and Robinson was not long in doing the same, only in an opposite direction, with his unexpected prize, and eventually reached the land's end of Tasmania in the north-west, namely, Cape Grim, as quickly as he could reach there, followed by his 27 prisoners, who, it may be safely presumed, had no idea that he was only leading them into captivity, from whence they were never to emerge.

Reaching the Cape, after a march of 40 miles, he immediately transferred his prisoners to some large islands called the Hunters, that lie a few miles off this headland. A sealer's boat was luckily lying at the place, and their removal was effected at once, where they would all have been starved but for the fortunate circumstance of the shores and off lying rocks of these islands abounding with sea birds and their eggs just at this season—chiefly the albatross and penguin. The natives were very partial to birds, and Robinson says that when they were very ill they would often eat one, when they rejected all other food, and here