ld, to show that they were hungry,
draw in their belly, so as to make it appear quite empty.

Co-al-by's wife had a young female child in her arms, about
three or four months old; this little creature had a ligature
round the little finger of the right hand, in order to separate
the two lower joints, which in the course of three weeks or a
month it effected: I saw it just as the finger was about dropping
off, but as it hung by a bit of skin, they begged Mr. White, the
surgeon, to take it off, which he did, with a pair of scissars,
and which the child did not seem to feel. This taking off the
finger of the right hand appeared to be a mistake in the mother,
who frequently pointed that it should have been the left
hand.

A short time previous to this friendly and general visiting
from the natives, the governor, as I have already observed, in
order to dispose them the more to confide in us, went down the
harbour himself, to see and converse with our old friends
Ba-na-lang and Co-al-by, and to invite them to come to his house,
where they should get whatever they might be in want of; and be
permitted to return when they pleased. The governor having
received information that these two men with several other
natives were in Collins's-Cove, went thither, accompanied by
several other gentlemen, and they were all unarmed; this
unfortunate want of necessary caution had very near proved fatal
to the governor; the particulars of this accident were related to
me by an officer who was of the party, and were, as near as I can
recollect, as follows:

On Thursday the 7th of September, the governor, with a few
other gentlemen, went down to the look-out, in order to fix on a
spot for erecting a column, or pyramid, as a mark, by which
strangers might, at sea, the better know the harbour; and were
returning, when they were met by a boat which had been landing a
party of gentlemen, who intended walking along the coast to
Broken-bay: by the cockswain of this boat, the governor was
informed, that Mr. White, who was one of the above party, had
seen Co-al-by and Ba-na-lang, and had a long conversation with
them; that these men enquired for every body they knew, and
particularly for the governor; that they had sent his excellency
a piece of whale, which had been thrown on shore, and which they
had been regaling themselves upon; that Ba-na-lang would go up to
Sydney, if the governor would come for him.

In consequence of this information, th