12d PHILLIP 1790 appearance of an impudent attempt at robbery — ^was in fact an assertion of right on the part of the native owners.* There was one occasion, however, on which Phillip felt called upon to alter his usual line of conduct towards the natives, with the view of teaching them a much-needed lesson. In the month of December, 1790,t a party consist- A hunting iug of a Serjeant of marines and three convicts — among Eotany. whom was a man named McEntire, " the Governor's game- keeper^' — was sent out for the purpose of shooting kan- garoos at Botany Bay, in order to increase the stock of pro- visions, which had then become alarmingly small. During the night, they were disturbed in their camp by a noise among the bushes near them, which they found was occa- The camp siouod by somo natives — two of whom were seen creeping towards them with spears in their hands, while three others appeared a little behind. McEntire then got up, saying that he knew them, and laying down his gun, went towards them. They retreated slowly while he followed and began talking in a friendly way with them. One of them suddenly jumped on a fallen tree, and without giving the least wam- The ing of his intention, launched his spear at McEntire with wiled. such force as to drive it seven and a half inches into his left side. The unfortunate man lingered for some weeks
- '< Every tribe has its own district, the boundaries of which are well-
known to the natives generally; and within that district all the wild ani- mals are considered as much the property of the tribe inhabiting, or rather ranging on, its whole extent, as the flocks of sheep and herds of cattle that have been introduced into the country by adventurous Europeans, are held by European law and usage the property of their respective owners." — Dr. Langf quoted in Captain Grey*s Journals of Two Expeditions, 1841, vol. ii, '* The foundation of their social edifice may, like that of civilised nations, be said to rest on an inherent sense of the rights of property. As strongly attached to that property, and to the rights which it involves, as any Euro- pean political body, the tribes of Australia resort to precisely similar measures for protecting it, and seek redress and revenge for its violated laws through the same means as an European nation would, if similarly situated. Thus, if his territory has been trespassed upon, in hunting, by a neighbouring tribe, compensation or a reparation of the insult is asked for. If such be refused, war ensues; and when both tribes display equal force and courage, in most cases ends in a feud which is bequeathed to future generations. " — Strzelecki, Physical Description of New South Wales, 1845, p. 340. t Tench, Complete Account, p. 89; Collins, p. 143. Digitized by Google
