they proceeded to the spot
which Mr. Clarke had described as that where they had lost sight of their
companions; but, after a long search, they could only find some trifling
articles, which were known to have been in their possession; and, these
being bloody, it was conjectured that they had been killed in this very
helpless condition by the natives, whom, in the course of their long
march, they had found frequently very kind, and at other times extremely
savage. To add to the probability of this having been their end, Mr.
Clarke mentioned the morose, unfeeling disposition of the carpenter, who
often, when some friendly natives had presented him with a few fish,
growled that they had not given him all, and insisted, that because they
were black fellows, it would be right to take it by force. By some
illiberal and intemperate act of this nature, there was too much reason
to believe he had brought on himself, and his ill-fated companion, the
mate (a man cast in a gentler mould), a painful and premature death.

Mr. Clarke and the two other people who arrived with him were very much
exhausted, and could not probably have borne up much longer against the
toil that attends travelling in such a country as the unsettled part of
New Holland every where presents. All possible attention, however, being
paid to their situation, they quickly recovered their strength and
spirits.

In the account already published of this colony, several instances were
given of the danger and difficulty that attended travelling through the
woods, in which many people have either wandered till they died, or have
been assassinated by the natives. Every caution that humanity could
suggest had been given; yet even at this day an instance occurred that
proved to how little purpose. A soldier who had taken his passage in a
boat to go to the Hawkesbury prevailed on the crew to land him on the
south shore of Broken Bay, intending to proceed to the settlement by
land, but which he was never able to accomplish. Several parties of
soldiers were sent to look after their comrade, but all returned without
finding him. His end must have been truly deplorable; and not less so was
that of the sergeant-major's daughter, a fine girl of about 10 years of
age, who was burnt to death by a stubble field having taken fire while
she was in the midst of it. The flames were so rapid, that she was
totally unable to escape from them, and perished in this most
extraordinary and t