It may be thought remarkable that, after what had happened, the natives should appear in the fight of seventeen armed men; and what was more extraordinary, the cockswains of the two boats which lay at anchor all night near the beach, with several soldiers in them, said, that after the party they landed were gone off, the natives returned, made up some fires, and slept there all night; but, as the officer who went to bring home the party that were out a shooting, found by the marks on the sand, when he was returning the next morning, that he had been followed by three men and a dog, it is probable that they had others looking out likewise, and had the boats approached the beach in the night, they would have immediately fled into the woods.

It was Governor Phillip’s intention, as soon as he should be able to go out, to endeavour to find Bannelong, and, if possible, to have the man given up who wounded him, or some of his tribe; not with a view of inflicting any punishment, but of detaining one or more of these people till they understood each other’s language.

Some days after this affair, as several officers were going down the harbour, they saw some natives, and amongst them Bannelong and his wife; on this, the boat’s head was put to the rocks, and he came down, shook hands with several of the party, and enquired if the governor was dead; they told him no; on which he promised to come and see him; said he had beat the man who wounded him, and whose name he told them was -Wil-le-me-ring_, of the tribe of Kay-yee-my, the place were the governor was wounded.

The native boy and girl were in the boat, and through them this conversation was held:  the girl pointed out one of the natives who she said was her father:  none of these people showed any signs of fear, though they saw the officers were armed, and the girl was very desirous of remaining with them; she was now of an age to want to form a connection with the other sex, which she had no opportunity of doing in the clergyman’s family where she lived, and very innocently told him, when she asked to go away, that she wanted to be married.  As it would be difficult to prevent her getting away, if she was determined to go, it was thought most prudent to consent to her leaving the settlement, and she was told that she would be permitted to go, and to take all her cloaths with her; and that whenever she chose to come and see her friends, whatever she wished for should be given her; at the same time, several reasons were urged, that were likely to induce her to remain in her present situation a few months longer, as she did not sufficiently understand the language to explain their intentions towards the natives so sully as could have been wished.