Page:Last of the tasmanians.djvu/153

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THE LAST OF THE TASMANIANS.

far from being so severe as others, and in most cases, when not mortal, rapidly healed. The stick could be often withdrawn without the fatal consequences of the removal of the javelin from the breast of Epaminondas. Marvellous stories are given of the recovery of men left for dead, when transfixed by several spears. A Mrs. Cunningham was in her garden when a spear was thrown at her, which pierced her back. Catching up her child, she fled towards the house, but received another spear. A native came up and struck her down with a blow of his waddy, just as another spear was thrust into her body. She drew herself over her child, and in her senseless state had other spears thrust into her before the people left her for dead. Recovering consciousness, she was able to drag herself and her child to the house of a neighbour, and lived till the next morning.

Near the banks of the classic Isis, and within view of the snow-clad Ben Lomond, stood Elenthorpe Hall, the Ladies' Boarding School of the period, and conducted by Mr. and Mrs. G. C. Clark. Being situated in a lonely place, about half-way from Hobart Town to Launceston, some alarm was experienced by parents at a distance, lest their daughters should be forcibly carried off by the Bush warriors. As a means of protection, a military station was formed in its neighbourhood, so that Venus could be shielded by Mars.

When I stood at the head of the Jordan, near Jericho, which was then particularly infested with thieves,—for a probation party of several hundreds then occupied a position in that bleak retreat,—I heard a series of bloody tales from Mr. Salmon of that district. It was there, near Lemon's Lagoon, so called from a celebrated Bushranger, that Mrs. Gough, her child, and Ann Geary were killed. The Quoin and the lofty Table Mountain there were favourite haunts of the Natives, from which they made their descents upon stray colonists. A poor Jew lad had been betrayed into some liaison with a gin there, and was subsequently killed by the men. When his corpse was recovered, it was found horribly mutilated by the jealous people of the tribe; a portion of the body being found thrust into the mouth of the corpse. It was at no great distance that Mr. Jones, concerning whom a previous narrative has been given, became the subject of another attack, which is thus