Page:The Native Tribes of South Australia (1879).djvu/228

 154 CAPTURE OF NATIVES. The Government resolved, after receiving Mr. Pullen’s report, that a strong body of police-troopers under Major O’Halloran should be sent to make further investigations. This force was rapidly gathered at the Elbow, and, with Major O’Halloran in command and Inspector Tolmer as his second, started on Friday, the 21st August, 1840, for the Coorong. That day they got fourteen miles beyond the mouth of the River Murray. By the 23rd they arrived on the scene of the murders; and on that day, after much galloping about the scrub, captured thirteen native men and two lads and fifty women and children. They found articles of European clothing on almost all these people, and sometimes the garments were stained with blood. They also found in possession of the natives a silver watch and some silver spoons. The tribes to which they had now come were noted amongst the Aborigines for their ferocity and warlike character. The whites had frequently heard of them from sealers and others as the great Murray tribe. They consisted of all the Narrinyeri on the southern sides of Lakes Alexandrina and Albert. These had rapidly gathered at the news of the wreck, and were now in force on the Coorong; but, although at this time they could muster easily eight hundred warriors,* the sight of the strange armed troopers dashing through the scrub completely daunted them. On the 24th, the expedition saw large numbers of ferociouslooking men, who hung about the skirts of the scrub. Almost all had some article of European clothing. At last they came to some native huts, and found male and female garments which had been drenched with blood. Aided by the Encounter Bay natives who had been brought with the expedition, they made inquiries as to the actual perpetrators of the murders, and there were pointed out by some of the captives four very truculentlooking savages. Two of these were pursued and shot down, and two more were captured. In the native huts were found newspapers, mail letters opened and torn, the leaves of a Bible and part of the log of the Maria.
 * An eye-witness soon after counted eight hundred fighting men at a corrobery.