158 HISTORY OF 



white men (Wilson and Knight) had been often 

 seen with the natives in their excursions, and 

 were thought to direct and assist in those de- 

 predations by which the settlers had suffered. 

 The settlers were strictly prohibited from giving 

 any natives encouragement to lurk about their 

 farms. 



Those natives who lived frith the settlers had 

 enjoyed the comforts of a settler's mode of living, 

 3nd that their friends and companions might 

 partake, stole from those with whom they were 

 living, or communicated such favourable oppor- 

 tunities as offered of stealing what they pleased. 



Several who had served their term of trans- 

 portation applied for permission to provide for 

 themselves. Of these were Wilson and Knight, 

 who preferred a vagrant life with the natives; 

 and considering, that if taken, they would be 

 dealt with so as to prevent their getting among 

 their black friends again ; these rascals led on 

 the natives to every kind of mischief, explain- 

 ing too clearly, of how little use a discharged 

 musquet was. This removed that terror of fire- 

 arms with which it had been the constant 

 endeavour to inspire them. 



As many articles were brought for sale in the 

 Marquis Cornwallis, a, shop was opened on shore, 

 and money, or orders on the Commissary, Pay- 

 master of the Corps, and Officers who paid 

 companies, were taken for goods, an opportu- 

 nity was now afforded to some among the 

 privates to pass, not only counterfeit Spanish 

 dollars and rupees, luit forged notes or orders, 



