As bringing any arms on shore would probably have prevented an
interview taking place, the musquets had been left in the boat;
but the governor having a pistol in his pocket, he discharged it
as he went down to the beach, as several of the natives stopped
at no great distance, and the cockswain coming up at the same
instant, fired a musquet, though there was no reason to apprehend
the natives meant to molest them any farther.

The conduct of this savage may be supposed to do away any idea
that had been formed of the natives not abusing a confidence
placed in them; and yet, there is no great reason to draw that
inference from the accident just mentioned; for, it should be
remembered that the man who wounded Governor Phillip was a
stranger, and might fear their taking him away, as they had
carried off others; against which he might not think their
numbers a sufficient security; besides, he had not joined the
party, nor probably thought the friendship, which-subsisted
between them and others of a different tribe, any way binding on
him; for it is supposed the different tribes are in every respect
perfectly independant of each other. This man had stood for some
time peaceably and quietly, and the governor certainly was more
in his power before he went to call the officers out of the boat,
than at the time the spear was thrown; it is therefore most
likely that the action proceeded from a momentary impulse of
fear; but the behaviour of Bannelong on this occasion is not so
easily to be accounted for; he never attempted to interfere when
the man took the spear up, or said a single word to prevent him
from throwing it; he possibly did not think the spear would be
thrown, and the whole was but the business of a moment.

A few minutes before this affair happened, nineteen of the
natives had been counted round our party, and the position they
took showed their judgment: on the ground where Bannelong and
Colebe joined them, the trees stood at the distance of forty or
fifty feet from each other, and, had the natives kept together,
shelter might have been found from their spears behind a tree;
but whilst four of them remained in front, at the distance of
forty yards, four or five others placed themselves on the right,
and the same number on the left, at about the same distance;
others again were planted between them and the beach, at the
distance of ten or fifteen yards, which rendered it impossible
either to carry off their c