359
Mr. Schoales and Mr. Nash are both with me this evening. We dined at Irwin's.
August 26th.—I am becoming very irregular with the journal. Mr. Schoales and Nash have been looking about for a grant, and S has been shewing them several places and tempting them to settle beside him. I had been obliged to ride to the house of a constable about a native who had been taken prisoner there. It appears that all the natives who were imprisoned on Rottnest Island contrived to make their escape about two days ago. The boat was upset in the surf, and one of them drowned. A Perth man, his relative, blamed the others for drowning him, and followed after and speared one of the runaways to death. Another was taken prisoner near this. The natives had each a chain on his leg, which was fastened to one large bullock chain, which was locked round a tree (not a very large one). They burned the tree through at night, and so escaped, carrying off the only boat on the island. They deserve credit for their ingenuity.
Sept. 2nd.—There was an occurrence to-day of rather a novel nature. After service at Irwin's a number of natives came there on their way to my place to look out for one of those who had escaped from Rottnest, and who they said was near this. They blame him (Daubain) for drowning one of the Perth natives who were also trying to escape. Near my place they fell in with a brother of his, and a question arose as to whether they should kill him instead. Some were for it, and some against it. The man broke away, and ran down past my kitchen. I opened the gate and told him to take to the river and swim across, whilst I shut the gate and gained time for him. He hesitated on the brink, but, as they approached he plunged in, and, when they arrived, they threw at him in the water, but between his diving and their hurry, he reached the other side in safety. He then picked up some spears and defied them all from the opposite bank. My boat was there, and
