the colonists, were very fond of bread, rice, and
vegetables; some pains had been taken to make them carry the
surplus of what fish they caught near the head of the harbour, to
Parramatta, and exchange it for bread, etc. Several of them
had carried on this traffic lately, and Governor Phillip had
reason to hope that a pretty good fish-market would be
established the ensuing summer. Amongst those who thus bartered
their fish, was a young man that had lived some months with the
governor, but had left him from time to time in order to go a
fishing: his canoe was a new one, and the first he had ever been
master of, so that it may be supposed he set no small value on
it.

Strict orders had been given, that the natives' canoes should
never be touched, and the interest which both the soldiers and
the convict had in inducing them to bring their fish, which they
exchanged for a very small quantity of bread or rice, would, it
might have been supposed, have secured them from insult; but this
barter had not been carried on many days, when the young man just
mentioned, came to Governor Phillip's hut at Parramatta in a
violent rage, said the white men had broke his canoe, and he
would kill them: he had his throwing-stick and several spears,
and his hair, face, arms, and breast were painted red, which is a
sign of great anger: it was with some difficulty that he was made
to promise not to kill a white man; which he at length did, on
the governor's telling him, that he would kill those who
destroyed his canoe. A short time afterwards, the villains were
discovered and punished: they were convicts, and the young native
saw the punishment inflicted, yet it was thought necessary to
tell him that one of the offenders had been hanged, with which he
appeared to be satisfied; but, whilst these men were under
examination, his behaviour showed, that he thought it belonged to
him to punish the injury he had received; and three weeks after
the loss of his canoe, when every one thought he was sufficiently
repaid for his misfortune by several little articles, which
Governor Phillip had given him, by his seeing the aggressor
punished, and by his supposing one of them had been put to death,
he took his revenge; which confirmed the general opinion, that
these people do not readily forgive an injury until they have
punished the aggressor.

A convict, who strayed some distance from the settlement, was
met by two young native men, a woman, and two ch