to disperse them, and to make a severe example of
them, if any spears were thrown; but they never saw a native, for
the boy Nanbarre, true to his countrymen, on seeing the soldiers
form on the parade, ran into the woods, and stripping himself,
that he might not be known, joined the natives, and put them on
their guard; after which, he returned, and seeing the governor go
past with some officers, whilst he was hid in a bush, he
afterwards showed himself to an officer's servant, and asked
where the governor and the soldiers were going, and being told,
he laughed, and said they were too late, for the natives were all
gone.

Bannelong came in soon afterwards with his wife, and though he
was told that the soldiers were gone out to punish Ballederry for
wounding a white man, yet this intelligence did not prevent him
from eating a hearty dinner; and when he was going away, he left
a large bundle of spears, fiz-gigs, and various other articles
under Governor Phillip's care.

It might be supposed that the natives, after being fired at,
and one of them being wounded, would not have trusted themselves
again at the settlement for some time: this, however, was not the
case: they very well understood that nothing more was intended
than to punish the person who wounded the white man, and that
they would not have been fired on, had not a spear been thrown at
the party, who, they well knew, were looking for Ballederry; and,
on the 24th, more than twenty of them called at Governor
Phillip's house, in their way from Botany-Bay to the lower part
of the harbour, where most of them resided; and others went to
those with whom they were acquainted, with the same freedom as if
nothing had happened. On enquiry being made after the man who had
been wounded, they said he was gone to his tribe. Several of
these people remained at the settlement all night, and amongst
them were two strangers, who seemed as much at their ease as
those who were old acquaintances.

Bannelong's wife was now very near her time, which gave our
colonists an opportunity of seeing the preparations the women of
New South Wales make on these occasions: she had two nets hanging
from her neck, one of which being new, Governor Phillip was
desirous of obtaining, and it was given him, after she had taken
a large piece of the bark of the tea-tree out of it, nicely
folded up, and which was intended to lay her infant upon; this
seems to be the only preparation, which is made by