38 THE PASTORAL AGE IN AUSTRALASIA 



famous W. C. Wentworth, the author of the Constitu- 

 tion of New South Wales. The ship that carried Caesar 

 and his fortunes was scarcely more richly freighted. 

 McArthur must have been born under a tempestuous 

 star — say, Jupiter, with his storm-zones, and the 

 troubles that were to chequer his hfe in Australia began 

 before he set foot on the transport. He had already 

 quarrelled with Captain Nepean, commanding the 

 detachment, and the quarrel was revived after the 

 troops reached Sydney. While the Neptune was still 

 in British waters, the hot-headed lieutenant quarrelled 

 with the commander of the transport, and, on a trivial 

 pretext, fought a duel with him at Plymouth. After 

 sending a bullet tlirough Captain Gilbert's coat, and 

 having a second chance of assassinating the wearer of 

 it, McArthur declared that his honour was satisfied. 

 To all appearance McArthur was in the wrong, but 

 the gallant captain, Avho could not refuse the challenge, 

 was superseded, and another commander appointed. 

 McArthur did not gain by the change. Gilbert's suc- 

 cessor treated the fiery lieutenant, who must have 

 acquired the repute of being a mauvais sujet, Avith studied 

 discourtesy, and at his own request, McArthur was 

 transferred to the Scarborough — another transport of 

 the Second Fleet. Here again the boon was a question- 

 able favour ; McArthur was attacked by the fever 

 that beset the plague-stricken ships, and narrowly es- 

 caped with his life. The duelling phase in Mc Arthur's 

 history we may Mind up by stating that he afterwards 

 fought a duel with his commanding officer in Sydney 

 and another with the major of his regiment there ; if 

 he did not fight duels with two civilian officers of the 

 Government in New South Wales, it was not for lack 

 of challenging them in all but set form. Strife with his 

 fellows was a condition of his stormy existence or, at 

 least, a necessary consequence of his irascible character. 

 Such a nature was certain to find abundant oppor- 

 tunity for quarrelling in so very mixed a community as 

 the convict colony of New South Wales. Yet for ten 



