Discoveries in Australia Volume I Part 37

Their Arms and Ornaments.

Carved Horns on Houses.

Alarm of the Oran Kaya.

Punishment of the Natives of Laarat by the Dutch.

Revisit Oliliet.

Discover that Mr. Watson had rescued the European Boy.

Return to Port Essington.

Mr. Watson's Proceedings at Timor Laut.

In pursuance of orders from Sir G. Bremer, C.B. we sailed from Port Essington on the 18th March, 1839, having on board, Captain Kuper (then 1st Lieutenant of H.M.S. Alligator) and one of the Australian natives, who was induced to accompany us, partly by his own curiosity, and partly by liberal promises and plenty to eat. He was known at the settlement by the name of Jack White, and from his great good humour and intelligence, was a favourite with everyone. I hoped by keeping him on board for some time, away from his tribe, to wean him in some degree from his savage habits; and that by being able to communicate with him with greater facility, we might learn more of the manners and customs of his countrymen, than we had yet been able to do; in addition to which we antic.i.p.ated no small amus.e.m.e.nt from witnessing his astonishment at seeing countries and people so different from his own.

Light airs prevented our clearing the harbour till the morning of the 19th, and at 3 P.M. on the 20th, we made the land of Timor Laut; but from our ignorance of the coast, we were obliged to keep under easy sail during the night, which was squally with heavy rain.

TIMOR LAUT PROAS.

At daylight on the 21st, we made all sail to the northward, and about 10, observed two large proas, with Dutch colours flying, standing out from the land under sail; they were full of men, and for some time appeared to be in great doubt, whether they should come near us or not, as they shortened sail and consulted together several times; at last, however, they came under our stern, which was the only way in which they could approach, as their long outriggers, projecting 10 or 12 feet on each side of their narrow canoes, prevented them from coming close alongside.

As soon as they got hold of the rope we gave them, they hauled close up, and a little thin shrivelled old man came scrambling over the taffrail: he was dressed in a long black serge coat, check shirt, and black trousers, and as soon as he had regained his breath, after the violent exertions he had made, presented me with a neat little basket containing some papers which he seemed very anxious I should examine. I took them up, rather to please him, than with any expectation of being able to understand them, but to my surprise and great interest, found carefully rolled up in several envelopes, two pieces of lead pencil, part of the leaf of a Norie's Navigation Tables, and some sc.r.a.ps of paper, on which, written in pencil, was a rough journal of the proceedings of the men who left the ill-fated Charles Eaton (soon after she was wrecked in Torres Strait) in one of her cutters, in which they reached this island, and after remaining for thirteen months got to Amboyna in a trading proa, and thence to Batavia, where they gave the following account of their misfortunes to the Resident, Mr. D.W. Pietermaat.

WRECK OF THE CHARLES EATON.

The Charles Eaton sailed from Sydney on the 26th July, 1834, and on the 15th of August, about 10 o'clock in the forenoon, during a fresh full sail breeze, the vessel struck on a reef called the Detached Reef, situated at the entrance of Torres Strait.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE CREW.

During the preceding night the Captain, as a measure of prudence, had ordered the first reef to be taken in the topsails, in order not to enter the pa.s.sage before daylight.

The ship struck on the reef so violently, that both keel and rudder were instantly knocked off and carried away, and the Captain declared the vessel to be totally lost; at the same time giving orders to get the boats ready and furnished with provisions, in order to endeavour to reach the island of Timor.

At the time the vessel was wrecked, she had four boats, the longboat, two cutters, and a dinghy or small jolly boat. In the largest cutter, W.

Grindall, Laurent Constantine, and George Pigot, left the wreck, and Richard Quin, and James Wright, joined them the next morning by swimming across a bar or reef at the risk of their lives.

The other boats were knocked to pieces and lost, by the vessel falling over on her side, and they were unable to save any more of the pa.s.sengers or crew, as it was impossible to pull the boat up against the strong current; and none of them would venture amidst the heavy breakers to reach the boat by swimming. They were unable to state what became of the Captain, pa.s.sengers, and rest of the crew; but at the time Richard Quin and James Wright left the wreck, all the pa.s.sengers and crew were alive on the forecastle of the vessel, with the exception of one sailor named James Price, who was drowned by the smallest of the cutters swamping at the time she was lowered.

The pa.s.sengers on board at the time the vessel was wrecked, were Captain D'Oyly of the Bengal Artillery, his wife, and two sons, George and William; an English gentleman named Armstrong; and a Bengalese native servant.

NAMES OF THE CREW.

The ship's crew consisted of twenty-four persons: J.G. Moore, master; J.

Clare, chief mate; W. Mayer, second mate; G. Pigott, third mate; J.

Grant, surgeon; L. Constantine, carpenter; W. Montgomery, steward; W.

Perry, J.P. Ching, midshipmen; R. Quin, A. Quail, W. Moore, C. Robinson, J. Caen, W. Hill, J. Berry, R. Lounce, W. Jeffrey, J. Wright, W. Gumble, J. Miller, and W. Williams, seamen; J. Ireland and J. s.e.xton, boys.

The five seamen in the cutter, not seeing any possibility of saving more of the ship's company, and the next morning not perceiving a single person on the wreck, concluded that these unhappy persons had been washed off by the increasing swell of the sea during the night. On Sunday morning, August 17th, they left the wreck, and steered as westerly a course as possible by the sun and stars--they had no compa.s.s--in order to reach the Dutch settlement of Coupang in the island of Timor. The whole of their provisions consisted of 30 pounds of bread, one ham, and a keg containing about four gallons of water; which had been placed in the boat before she was lowered.

THE CUTTER REACHES TIMOR LAUT.

After driving about for fifteen days on the ocean, they descried land which they took to be Timor; they went on sh.o.r.e and procured some water and coconuts; but afterwards pursuing their course along the coast, they were attacked by a number of native proas, and being warn out with fatigue, and without any arms to defend themselves, they were forced to surrender. The natives upset the boat, and stripped them of all their clothes, after which they were brought on sh.o.r.e, where the natives at first seemed inclined to kill them, but through the intercession of two chiefs, named Pabok and Lomba, their lives were spared.

They afterwards learnt, that they were at the native village of Oliliet, in the island of Timor Laut; part of their clothes were given back to them, and they were well treated, without being compelled by the natives to perform any labour; their sustenance consisted of Indian corn, yams, a little rice and some fish, but the quant.i.ties given them were only just sufficient to keep them alive.

During their abode in this island, they learnt that in one of the neighbouring settlements called Laouran, at that period at war with the one in which they lived, there was another European, formerly belonging to an English brig, that had been wrecked seven years ago, and of whose crew he, and a boy since dead, had alone been spared by their savage captors.

After remaining more than thirteen months at Oliliet, a trading proa arrived from Amboyna, in which they received permission to depart, promising to return soon in an English ship, with arms and ammunition to a.s.sist the chiefs in defeating their enemies. In this proa, after a pa.s.sage of five days, they arrived at Amboyna, on the 7th of October, 1835.

IRELAND'S ACCOUNT OF THE FATE OF THE CREW.

Of the melancholy fate of those who remained on the wreck, the boy Ireland gave the following account, which was published at Sydney by Captain P.P. King, R.N. Ireland and the younger D'Oyly, were rescued from the savages by Captain C.M. Lewis, of the Colonial schooner, Isabella, who was sent to look for them in consequence of Captain Carr of the ship Mangles* having reported that he had seen two white persons among the natives of Murray's Island, but had been unable to induce the natives to give them up.

(*Footnote. I afterwards met Captain Carr in the Mangles; he expressed great regret that so much blame should have been attached to him for not bringing away the children. His account differed very much from young Ireland's, and it is but justice to him to state that it was owing to his report that the vessels were sent in search of Ireland and young D'Oyly.

J.L.S.)

The Charles Eaton left Sydney on the 29th of July, 1834, bound to Canton, by way of Torres Strait; and experienced a series of fine weather and favourable winds until she approached the Barrier Reef, when the weather became thick and rainy.

The master was provided with Captain Ashmore's chart, guided by which he boldly steered for the reefs. Unfortunately, however, for him the weather was so clouded on approaching the Barriers, that he could obtain no observation for the lat.i.tude, and yet it would appear that the ship was in a very favourable position.

About ten o'clock in the morning the reefs were suddenly perceived right ahead, upon which the ship was hove up in the wind and both anchors let go, and the cables paid out to the end; but as the depth was probably unfathomable they had no effect, for she drifted on the reef and fell over on her beam ends. The chief mate then cut her masts away, but the bottom was soon bilged, and everything destroyed by the water, which broke over the decks, and the ship became a perfect wreck. Happily the upper part of the vessel kept together, on which the crew and pa.s.sengers collected. Soon after she struck, a vessel was observed three or four miles to windward, high and dry upon the reefs, with her masts standing, and royal yards across, and sails set, in which position she must have been left by her crew.*

(*Footnote. The Flora, Sheriff, master.)

During the confusion that existed, one of the quarter-boats was lowered, but immediately swamped, by which one man, named Price, was drowned. Soon afterwards, three of the crew, namely G. Pigott, the third mate; L.

Constantine, the carpenter; and W. Gumble, one of the seamen, put sails, provisions, and water, and arms, and all the carpenter's tools, into the other quarter-boat, and lowered her down; and kept near the wreck during the day and following night. The next day R. Quin and J. Wright, two seamen, joined them, after which they refused to take any more; although six of the crew made their way over the reef the next morning, and wished to be taken on board. The boat, however, bore away, and was seen no more.

The master then, a.s.sisted by those who remained, attempted to make a raft, which was not completed before the expiration of seven days. During this interval they had managed to distil the contents of a cask and some bottles of water from the sea, by the aid of the ship's coppers, and a leaden pipe from the quarter gallery cistern, the whole of which they placed on the raft with a basket containing beer, and a cask of pork.

Whilst they were on the wreck they were upon a daily allowance of two wine gla.s.ses of distilled water, and a few pieces of damaged biscuit.

As soon as the raft was completed, they got upon it, but finding that it was not buoyant enough to hold them, they threw over the water the pork and beer. Still it did not support their weight, so the greater number returned on board; leaving Mr. Moore the master, Mr. Grant the surgeon, Captain and Mrs. D'Oyly, and their two children, their nurse, a native of India, and Mr. Armstrong, pa.s.sengers; also two seamen, named Lounce and Berry, who determined to remain upon it all night. In the morning, however, it was found that the rope by which the raft had been made fast to the stern of the wreck had been cut, and nothing was seen of their companions. It is probable that the uncomfortable situation in which they found themselves, up to their waists in water, and the sea constantly breaching over them, induced the master to cut the rope and trust to Providence to guide himself and the pa.s.sengers to some place of safety.

Those that remained then made another raft of the vessel's topmasts lashed together with coir rope, and made a sail out of some cloth which formed a part of her cargo. It took seven days before it was completed, when they launched off and bid adieu to the ill-fated vessel, which was probably soon broken up, for at high-water the sea breached over her.

The vessel that was seen with her masts standing, was too far to windward for them to reach, for even the boat could not make way against the wind and current. Upon casting off, they set their sail and steered before the wind, but the raft was so heavy and deep that very little progress was made. She drifted rather than sailed, and probably did not go more than a mile or one mile and a half an hour. After some time they came to a reef upon which they remained for the night, and the next morning proceeded before the wind, but saw no more reefs.

After being two days and nights upon the raft, up to their waists in water, and partaken of very little food, they pa.s.sed an island, and then saw several more ahead. Soon afterwards a canoe was perceived paddling towards them, containing ten or twelve Indians, who as they approached stood up and extended their arms to show they had no weapons and were inclined to be friendly. On reaching the raft the Indians got upon it, and conducted themselves very peaceably; and after a short time proposed that they should leave the raft and go into the canoe, which they at first hesitated to do, until Thomas Ching, a midshipman, said he would go, as he should then have a better chance of getting to England, upon which they all consented, and embarked in the canoe. Before they left, the Indians searched the raft very narrowly for iron implements, but only found a few hoops which they collected and took with them. They left the raft about four o'clock in the afternoon, and in less than an hour were landed on an island which they subsequently found was called Boydan, and which is probably that on the chart called Number 1, to the eastward of Hannibal Island.*

(*Footnote. On their way to it the canoe pa.s.sed, first, three islands on the right (northward) and one on the left (southward). The mainland was also distinguished from Boydan Island, and appeared to be about twelve or fourteen miles off, which agrees very well with the island it is supposed to be.)

Upon disembarking, the natives accompanied them round the island in search of food and water, but they were so exhausted by fatigue and hunger, that they could scarcely crawl. Upon their return to the place where they landed, they threw themselves on the ground in despair; as it was evident from the ferocious bearing and conduct of the savages, who stood around their party grinning and laughing in the most hideous manner, that they were exulting in the antic.i.p.ation of their murderous intentions. In this dreadful state of suspense, Mr. Clare, the first officer, addressing his companions, recommended them to be resigned to their fate; and read to them, in a most impressive manner, several prayers from a book which he had brought with him from the wreck; after which, commending themselves to the protection of the Almighty, they laid down, and worn out by severe exhaustion, were soon asleep; but it was to them the sleep of death; for no sooner had they composed themselves than, as Ireland describes, he was roused by a shout and noise, and upon looking up saw the Indians murdering his companions by dashing their brains out with clubs. The first that was killed was poor Ching, and after him his companion Perry, and then Mr. Mayer, the second officer: after which the confusion became so great, that Ireland could not distinguish what pa.s.sed. The last however, that met his fate was Mr.

Clare, who in the attempt to make his escape to the canoe, was overtaken by his pursuers, and immediately despatched by a blow on the head.

Ireland and another boy named s.e.xton, were now left awaiting their fate: the former, the narrator of this melancholy tale, thus describes his deliverance:

An Indian came to me with a carving knife to cut my throat, but as he was about to do it, having seized hold of me, I grasped the blade of the knife in my right hand and held it fast, struggling for my life. The Indian then threw me down, and placing his knee on my breast tried to wrench the knife out of my hand, but I still retained it, although one of my fingers was cut through to the bone. At last I succeeded in getting uppermost, when I let him go and ran into the sea, and swam out; but being much exhausted, and the only chance of my life was to return to the sh.o.r.e, I landed again fully expecting to be knocked on the head. The same Indian then came up with an infuriated gesture, and shot me in the right breast with an arrow; and then in a most unaccountable manner suddenly became quite calm, and led or dragged me to a little distance, and offered me some fish and water, which I was unable to partake of.

Whilst struggling with the Indian, I observed s.e.xton, who was held by another, bite a piece of his arm out, but after that knew nothing of him, until I found his life had been spared in a manner similar to my own.*

(*Footnote. Upon interrogating Ireland to obtain some explanation of the reason their lives were spared, he says, that he has frequently seen the Indians recover themselves in a moment from a violent paroxysm of fury; and he attributes their safety to a circ.u.mstance of this nature. P.P.K.)

At a short distance off, making the most hideous yells, the other savages were dancing round a large fire, before which were placed in a row the heads of their victims; whilst their decapitated bodies were washing in the surf on the beach, from which they soon disappeared, having been probably washed away by the tide. s.e.xton and I were then placed in charge of two natives, who covered us with the sail of the canoe, a sort of mat, but paid no attention to my wound, which had been bleeding profusely.

The next day the Indians collected all the heads; and, embarking, removed to another island where the women lived, which they called Pullan. On landing there, Ireland saw two of Captain D'Oyly's children, and the ship's dog, called Portland; the elder (George) D'Oyly, told him that the first raft had landed on the island, and that all the pa.s.sengers, excepting himself and his brother, had been instantly murdered; that his mother was killed by a blow with a club, and that his little brother was in her arms at the time, but was saved by one of the women, who afterwards took care of him. The child was seen by Ireland, when they landed, in the woman's arms, crying very much. He also saw some pieces of the ship's cabin doors, attached as ornaments to the heads of their canoes, which they appeared to prize very much, and other relics, among which were the heads of the pa.s.sengers and crew, of the first raft; those of Mrs. D'Oyly and Captain Moore being plainly distinguishable; the former by the hair, the latter by the features. The heads were suspended by a rope to a pole that was stuck up near the huts of the women; round which they danced every night and morning, accompanying their infuriated gestures with the most horrid yells.