, and who is going to destroy the settlement?"
said her father sharply. And then Dolly, feeling very frightened and
miserable, told him of Portveldt's letter, the receipt of which she had
concealed from every one but Foster. The D.A.A.C.G. laughed at first,
but then added, "but all the same, though 'twas but empty bluster, I had
better tell his Excellency about it; it is just possible that the Dutch
have planned an expedition against us."

At half-past ten, in response to a signal made from the look-out at
South Head by the officer in charge there, his Excellency Governor King
sent Lieutenant Houston, of his Majesty's ship _Investigator,_ then
anchored in Sydney Cove, to the naval officer in command at South Head.

The _Investigator_ was Flinders' ship, the gallant old tub of 334 tons
which surveyed a great part of the northern coast, and was at the time
of which we write lying rotting in Sydney, condemned after completing
her second voyage of discovery in June, 1803.

Then the Governor was told of Dolly's letter, but he was not the man
to take fright at the approach of the enemy, although he had no
defence force as it is now understood in New South Wales, nor had he a
gold-laced staff of officers with elaborate "defence schemes" against
possible raids of Japanese or Russians by way of Exmouth Gulf or Port
Darwin.

In that year Governer King's force did not take long to be marshalled.
The drums beat to arms, and the New South Wales Corps and the Loyal
Association immediately formed into line on the shores of the Cove.

At eleven o'clock a trooper arrived at Government House with
intelligence that one of the vessels appeared under British colours,
and the other was flying a Union Jack triumphant over a Dutch Jack.
Following this message there soon came another, bringing the certain
intelligence that one of the ships was an English whaler bringing into
port her Batavian prize. So on receipt of this news, and just as the
word to march was about to be given, the officer in command ordered his
force to return to barracks.

At two in the afternoon, with the whole of the settlement agog with
excitement, the two vessels sailed slowly up the harbour before a
light northeast breeze, and came to anchor in Sydney Cove, close to
the _Investigator,_ on board of which ship the Governor and a number of
naval officers awaited their arrival. For once discipline was relaxed,
and Captain King had good-naturedly permitted the townspeo