212 HISTORY OF 



were ordered to leave them at this place to the 

 direction of the guides; only one man expressed 

 a determination to penetrate further into the 

 country, and was left with them for that pur- 

 pose. 



In the transactions of the 2d of October, 

 it will be seen a boat had been carried off by 

 some who were supposed to have taken her out 

 to sea, but they were now heard of. Owen 

 Cavanagh, a free man, had a boat which he 

 employed in conveying grain from Hawkes- 

 bury to Sydney. On the 10th of this month, 

 he informed the Governor, that a short time 

 before, his boat had been boarded off Mullett- 

 Island, by the people who stole the settlers, 

 and carried her off, and another with 50 bushels 

 of grain, which was bringing to Sydney. One 

 who had against his wish, been a party in the first 

 seizure, now left them, and returned with Ca- 

 vanagh ; and gave the following account of 

 their proceedings : 



" Having made the capture they proceeded I 

 to the Southward, with the idea of reaching the 

 wreck of the Sydney-cove. For their guide they 

 had a pocket compass, of which hardly one man 

 of the fourteen knew the use. In this boat they 

 were twice thrown on shore, and at length 

 reached an island, where they fortunately 

 found many birds and seals, or they must have 

 perished. From the hardships they underwent,- 

 they would have returned, had they expected 

 their punishment would have been any but 

 death. Not finding it possible for such a num* 



