4 i 8 ACCOUNT OF THE ENGLISH COLONY [September, 



killed her. Her friends, therefore, refolved to call him to an account, 

 taking the bufinefs up on the fuppofition that the woman muft have 

 had fome eaufe of complaint againft him, or me could not have 

 dreamed of his doing her an injury. To this accufation Ben-nil- 

 long pleaded not guilty, declaring that he was an entire ftranger to 

 the woman, and had never in his life offended her : but there were 

 fome who faid that he actually wounded the woman, and had been 

 the caufe of her death ; which, to thofe acquainted with the temper 

 and difpofition of this favage, by no means appeared improbable. 

 Added to his natural brutality, he was now become fo fond of drink- 

 ing that he loft no opportunity of being intoxicated, and in that ftate 

 was fo favage and violent as to be capable of any mifchief. On thofe 

 occafions he amufed himfelf with annoying the women and infulting 

 the men, who, from fear of offending his white friends, fpared 

 thofe notices of his conduct which he fo often merited, and which 

 fooner or later he would certainly meet. 



The month of September commenced with a very vexatious cir- 

 cumftance. A boat, the largeft and belt in the colony belonging to 

 government, was, on her paflage to the Hawkefbury, whither fne was 

 carrying a few ftores, taken poffefTion of by a part of the boat's crew; 

 being at the fame time boarded by a fmall boat from the more, the 

 people in which feized her and put off to fea, firft landing the cox- 

 fwain and three others, who were unwilling to accompany them, in 

 Pitt Water in Broken Bay. Thefe men proceeded overland to Port 

 Jackfon, where they gave the firft information of this daring and 

 piratical tranfaction. Two boats, well manned and armed, were 

 immediately difpatched after them under the command of Lieu- 

 tenant Shortland of the Reliance; but on the 19th, after an abfence 

 of 13 days, returned without difcovering the fmalleft trace of them 

 or the boat. Mr. Shortland's purfuit, however, had not been 

 without its advantage ; for on his return he entered a river which he 

 named Hunter river about ten leagues to the fouthward of Port 

 Stephens, into which he carried three fathoms water> in the fhoaleft 



part 



