with
his shield. The most unaccountable trait in this business was, the party
thrown at providing his enemy with weapons; for they have been repeatedly
seen, when a spear has flown harmless beyond them, to pick it up and
fling it carelessly back to their adversary. This might proceed from
contempt, or from there being a scarcity of spears; and I have thought
that when, instead of flinging it carelessly back, they have thrown it
with much violence, it was because it had been thrown at them with a
greater visible degree of malevolence than the others.

This rigid attention to the point of honour, when fairly opposed to each
other, is difficult to reconcile with their treacherous and midnight
murders.

Their mode of retaliating an insult or injury was extraordinary.
Children, if when at play they received a blow or a push, resented it by
a blow or a push of equal force to that which they felt. This retaliating
spirit appeared also among the men, of a remarkable instance of which
several of us were witnesses. A native of the name of Bur-ro-wan-nie had
some time before been beaten by two natives of the tribe of Gwe-a, at the
head of Botany Bay. One of these being fixed on, he was in return to be
beaten by Bur-ro-wan-nie. For this purpose a large party attended
over-night at the head of the stream near the settlement to dance; at
which exercise they continued from nine till past twelve o'clock. The man
who was to be beaten danced with the rest until they ceased, and then
laid himself down among them to sleep. Early in the morning, while he was
yet on the ground, and apparently asleep at the foot of a tree, Cole-be
and Bur-ro-wan-me, armed each with a spear and a club, rushed upon him
from among some trees. Cole-be made a push at him with his spear, but did
not touch him, while the other, Bur-ro-wan-me, struck him with his club
two severe blows on the hinder part of the head. The noise they made, if
he was alseep, awaked him; and when he was struck, he was on his legs. He
was perfectly unarmed, and hung his head in silence while Cole-be and his
companion talked to him. No more blows were given, and Bennillong, who
was present, wiped the blood from the wounds with some grass. As a proof
that Bur-ro-wan-nie was satisfied with the redress he had taken, we saw
him afterwards walking in the town with the object of his resentment,
who, on being asked, said Bur-ro-ween-nie was good; and during the whole
of the day, wheresoever he w