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LOSS OF THE BRIGG "MARIA"
By:- Fitzroy
A FRIENDLY TRIBE OF BLACKS
As the six voyagers were struggling back towards the sea they saw three blackfellows, who promptly ran away and got on to their rafts made of thick banana stems, which had been dried and lashed together. They made friendly signs to these blacks, who were at last induced to come back to the bank again and took the six men across to one of those little inlets, two on each raft. The blacks obligingly swam behind each raft and pushed it in front of them. This saved the poor tired fellows a difficult journey through the mangroves. The blacks then left their rafts and went along with the six white, who patted them on the back, and repeatedly said, “Budgeree fellow you,” No doubt the blacks did not understand what was said, though they appreciate the kindly gestures.
These friendly aborigines appeared to take great interest in these shipwrecked people, and at last they appeared to understand a few words, as did also the whites. The blacks carried large shells for holding drinking water and the wise example the whites followed. That morning the three friendly blacks caught four fish which they at once cooked, and generously threw the heads and tails to the starving whites. They kept the centre of each fish, and when they threw the bones away the white men picked them up, and gladly ate any little flesh left on them. The natives, however, picked the bones pretty clean before throwing them away. Think of the horrible situation: white men glad to pick a bit of food from what a black fellow had thrown away.
Rain still continued to fall at intervals. Fortunately the botanical knowledge of someone in the party induced them to try the fruit of the Eugenia Grandis and Eugenia Suborbicularis, which are white and red respectively. The red fruit resembles a rosella in colour, but is more the shape of a small orange. It has a repugnant taste something like castor oil but the fruit appeared to be wholesome and eating it relieved the gnawing of their stomachs. There are several of these trees growing in the Rockhampton Botanic Gardens.
It was soon made plain, however that some danger existed in eating fruits or berries that they knew nothing of. Coyle found something like a cabbage stalk, which he thought the blacks ate. He tried a piece of it, which burnt his month and throat in a terrible manner. He could only gasp out “water,” which was quickly given him, but it only gave slight relief. His tongue swelled, and it was many days before the effects wore off. After such a painful experience the whites were careful to eat nothing the blacks had not partaken of.
The six men wandered about the beach with these friendly blacks, gathering shell fish and occasionally shrimps, which helped to sustain life. In spite of everything, however they were always ravenously hungry, and could not get their strength back.
The blacks were greatly interested in Ingham and Smith. They used to pull Ingham’s red locks, apparently thinking the hair would come out. Smith was as bald as a billiard table and the blacks delighted in rubbing their hands on his smooth face, jabbering to each other all the time.
THEIR TROUBLES INCREASE
Seven days passed away without a sign of outside assistance and then the friendly blacks were joined by about twenty belonging to another tribe and to the astonishment of the six, Siddell and Bardon were with the party and apparently had been all the time with the party. The blacks had stripped the two poor fellows of everything but a pair of trousers and shirt, one having the trouser and other the shirt. A row arose between the two lots of blacks and those had been friendly took Hayden and Phillips and lead them to the north, evidently desiring to part company with the newcomers. Forster and Doyle also moved off in the same direction, but Ingham and Smith were too weak to follow and had to remain behind.
Forster was of opinion that the friendly blacks wished to take them where they would be rescued, and urged them all to go north with them.
The four remaining behind Ingham, Smith Siddell and Bardon - camped on the south bank of a small river, a little to the south of Point Cooper, and about two miles to the north of where their raft came ashore.
It still continued to rain, and the shipwrecked quartet remained in their camp in one of the native huts. The next day three of the strange blacks came to the hut, and the white men made signs to them that they were hungry. The three blacks then beckoned to the white men to follow them. Expecting that they might be going to give them food, they followed the aborigines. Directly the natives pointed into the thickest part of the scrub, where they went and knocked over a big grass tree. When they pulled the leaves off a white vegetable substance appeared, which was eatable, and they all ate a portion of it.
THE ATTACK BY THE BLACKS
The three blackfellows then pointed to Ingham to go into the scrub, which be did and as he moved away he received a heavy blow on the head from a wooden sword. The blow was so severe that Ingham fell to the ground. Luckily he was not severely injured and at once jumped to his feet again facing round to his assailant. As he turned round a spear thrown by one of the aborigines stuck in his arm. This cowardly assault roused Ingham’s blood and pulling the spear out he tried to use it as a club on the blackfellow.
The three blacks consisted of two young men and an old one. The old man had his spear raised to throw while his eyes glared and there was a horrible expression on his face. It was now or never with poor Ingham and wounded as he was, he made a rush at the old fellow who instead of throwing the spear, turned and took to his heels, and was followed by the young blacks.
Ingham then returned to Smith and told him what had happened and they both agreed it was best to follow those who had gone north with the natives who had been friendly. Accordingly during the night Ingham and Smith endeavoured to cross the river but the tide was too high and Ingham was nearly drowned. This failure to cross the river caused them to return to the hut they had occupied.
IN DESPERATE STRAITS
Just before daybreak Ingham heard a coo-ee, and going out of the hut to see what was up he saw a lot of blacks gathering round. He returned to his companion and said “Smith, it is all up with us now, they are going to kill us for certain.”
Looking round them they could see heads popping up from the ground in all directions, and they estimated there were at least twenty or thirty black fellows apparently eager for they blood. The natives were armed with spears and wooden swords and slowly advanced. They came up to the huts and sat down near the opening of the hut occupied by the whites. They caught hold of Smith’s clothes and pulled at them they also pulled Ingham’s hair which he strongly resented.
At this instant a spear came through the side of the hut but luckily it missed both white men and stuck in the sand between them. Thinking their time had come, both Ingham and Smith rushed out in the open. All fear of death had now gone, and valiant Ingham and Smith in spite of wounds and weakness determined to die fighting though their powers of resistance were small.
Directly Ingham got outside the hut he received a spear thought the calf of the right leg. He pulled it out and threw it back as best he could. Smith was also getting wounded from flying spears and following Ingham’s example, he endeavoured to throw them back but of course the blacks easily evaded them. Every now and again Ingham and Smith would make a rush at the blacks who would turn back but still continued to throw spears. Ingham was next speared in the hip also just below the spine making four wounds in all.
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Crocodile in North Queensland |
While all this fighting was going on between the blacks and Ingham and Smith. Bardon and Siddell kept telling them the blacks wanted their clothes and to give them up. The whole six who had been together had previously decided not to give up anything, as the blacks would only want more whatever they did.
At last, nearly fainting from pain and loss of blood, Ingham and Smith took off their cloths and gave them to the blacks, who then left. One big blackfellow had been particularly brutal, and had wounded Ingham more than once. Ingham was so enraged that he tried to get hold of this giant, wishing to choke him before he himself was killed.
It seems quite evident that Siddell and Bardon were right, and it was the cloths and possessions, small as they were, that the blacks wanted, more perhaps than to kill them.
MOVING FURTHER NORTH
When the blacks moved off with the clothes, Ingham and Smith, the two unhappy men were so exhausted that they promptly fell into an uneasy sleep. When Ingham awoke his leg was giving him acute pain, and on examination he found that hundreds of black ants had eaten into the wound.
In spite of everything the poor fellows managed to hobble along to the north hoping to get away from vicinity of their black assailants. The tide was now out and they were able to cross the river and then they managed to get round Point Cooper.
They had not gone far on the northern side of that point when they espied a mob of blacks coming towards them from the north. With enemies apparently in every direction, the two wounded men felt quite hopeless, and really cared little whether they lived or died. They had as short consultation and both decided to go on and meet their fate. They struggled along not caring very much how soon they were put out of their misery.
But as they advanced towards the oncoming natives joy came into their hearts with a bound when they recognised the friendly blacks who had gone north with their four companions a few days before.
THE KINDLY ABORIGINES
Sick, tired and despondent as Ingham and Smith had been, the sight of the kindly disposed blacks revived their hopes once more. Forward they hobbled and greeted each other with hearty hand shaking and, “Budgeree blackfellow,” “Budgeree whitefellows” were the greetings exchanged again and again.
Ingham and Smith were not quite happy as to what had become of Forster, Coyle, Haydon, and Phillips, who had gone away with those blacks. They accordingly made signs of inquiry as to what had become of them. The blacks held up three fingers which puzzled the shipwrecked men to understand. However Ingham and Smith followed the friendly blacks till a scrub was reached when the blacks held up one finger. They then held up three fit gets and pointed to the north. This seemed to indicate that one man was in the scrub and the three others were somewhere further north.
They followed the direction given by the one finger and went through a small scrub. After going a short distance they emerged to see in front of them an open space with a little cluster of about twenty native huts, all of the some pattern already described like large beehives.
There appeared to be about fifty blacks and one white man. On drawing near the white man was found to the Coyle, who had to be left behind in consequence of having a bad big toe. Ingham told Coyle about the attack by the blacks and Coyle replied that they should not have given up their clothes. Ingham replied that the clothes were only surrendered to save their lives. It would probably have been wiser had they given up their clothes at once as did Siddell and Bardon.
THE NATIVE VILLAGE
From this native village the famous Bellenden Kerr Range could be seen, with its loftiest peak rising 5400 ft above sea level one of the highest mountains in Australia. The mountain seemed only a short distance away, though in reality twelve or fifteen miles distant.
Forster, Haydon, and Phillips had gone away foraging to the north, but they returned later in the day with the blacks, all of whom brought in something to eat. Some of them had wild fruit like rosellas, and others had shrimps. Ingham and those with him were famishing for food and they held out their hand imploringly to the blacks, begging for something. One blackfellow would put in a rosells and another a shrimp which were quickly devoured. It was a poor meal, but they were glad to get it. Their hunger was so great that the whites looked diligently for frogs, lizards, or snakes, but could find none.
The following day Ingham saw a sail in the offing but a great distance from the shore. The ship continued north without seeing the signals the shipwrecked men made. They made signal fires, but they were extinguished by a heavy storm. In consequence of this failure to be seen the shipwrecked people were cast down more than ever if that were possible. They subsequently ascertained that the ship they saw was the one that reported the wreck of the Maria to the Basilisk.
THOUGHTS OF HAPPIER DAYS
Ten slept in a big hut, including four blacks, in comparative comfort so far as the hut was concerned. Fortunately the weather was so warm that they suffered but little discomfort for lack of clothes. On the third morning after the arrival of Ingham and Smith at the big native village, the latter was unable to move in consequence of the inflamed character of his spear wounds. Ingham was in no better condition. His wounds were swollen to a terrible size and greatly inflamed. They bad to lie on their stomachs, that being the least painful position.
Though the pain from the wounds was so great the hunger of the poor fellows grew greater every day. Bardon and Siddell had by this time joined the other six in the native village. The thoughts of every one were continually about food, and the delight of once more having a square meal.
Bardon said suddenly to Ingham “I say, Tom, how you would like to be picking the leg of a roast goose at the royal Hotel. Or a few slices from the breast of a roast turkey. How would you like a nice roly-poly pudding with a glass or two of fizz to wash it down?”
Poor Ingham thought Bardon had gone mad, but he replied with all seriousness; “Never mind about the Royal Hotel; but if I ever get back to Sydney again, I shall go Carpenter’s pie stall and have a dozen of those beautiful pies”.