2-181 (Raw)

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I am assigned servant to Mr. Dangar; I was at his station at Myall Creek, as hutkeeper, for five months, in June, 1838. Mr. Hobbs lives there as superintendent; he left home to go to the Big River in the beginning of June; when he left there were some native blacks there; I have said there were twenty, but I am sure there was that number and upwards; I would not swear there were not forty. While master was away some white men came on a Saturday evening, about ten in number; I cannot say how many days after master left; they came on horseback, armed with muskets, and swords, and pistols; all were armed; I was at home when they came, and the stock-keeper; I was sitting with Kilmeister, the stock-keeper, in the hut; the blacks were all encamped ready for the night; they were not more than two yards from the hut; this was about an hour and a half before sundown. There were plenty of women and children amongst them. The blacks, when they saw the men coming, ran into our hut, and the men then all of them got off their horses; and Russel had a rope, which was round a horse's neck, and he began to undo it whilst the blacks were in the hut. While he was undoing it, I asked what they were going to do with the blacks, and Russel said "We are going to take them over the back of the range to frighten them." Russell and some one or two went in [...] . I heard the crying of the blacks for relief or assistance to me and Kilmeister; they were moaning the same as a mother and children would cry; there were small things that could not walk; there were a good many small boys and girls. After they were tied, I saw Russel bring the end of the rope out they were tied with, and give it to one of the men on one of the horses, I cannot say which. The party then went away with the blacks; the man who took the rope from Russel went in front, and the others behind; all the blacks were tied together, and this rope tied them all fast; they were tied with their hands - one black fellow had on a pair of handcuffs - they were all fastened with one rope; it was a tether-rope for horses in a field; it was a very long rope; they brought out the whole except two, that made their escape as the men were coming up; they were two little boys, and they jumped into the creek close by the hut; there was no water in it; they escaped at a dry part. [290] One black gin (i.e. woman) they left with me in the hut; they left her because she was good-looking; they said so; I forget which. Another black gin they left that was with Davy, another black fellow that was with me. There was a little child at the back of the hut when they were tying this party; and when the blacks and party were going away, this little child, as I thought, was going to follow the party with its mother; but I took hold of it and put it into the hut, and stopped it from going. I had two little boys, the small child, two gins, and Davy and Billy; they all went away except these; the children were going after their mothers. There was an old man named Daddy, the oldest of the lot; he was called Old Daddy; he was an old, big, tall man. This Daddy, and another old man named Josey, they never tied along with the rest; they were crying, and did not want to go; they made no resistance. Some of the children were not tied; others were; they followed the rest that were tied. The small ones, two or three, were not able to walk; the women carried them on their backs in opossum-skins. [...] . They were not in sight above a minute or so after they went away. About a quarter of an hour, or twenty minutes at the outside, I heard the report of two pistols, one after the other; the reports came from the same direction they went; the second was quite plain for any one to hear; I only heard two; I did not hear anything else but those two. It was just before sundown. Next night after, the same men came back to the hut where they took the blacks from; they were all together of a lump, except Kilmeister, who was left behind.
They slept all night. . [...] Next morning three of them, after they had breakfast, took firesticks out of the hut, Russel, Fleming, and another [...] . Kilmeister asked me for the leg-rope, and I gave it to him, and they went in the same direction as they took the blacks, and that I heard the two pieces. One of the men was left behind.
During the time they were away I asked Foley if any of the blacks had made their escape; he said none that he saw; he said all were killed except one black gin. Before the party came back, Foley drew one of the swords out of the case and showed it to me; it was all over blood,. [...] In about an hour the other men came back to the hut. I saw smoke in the same direction they went; this was soon after they went with the firesticks. [...] . They got upon their horses; and Fleming told Kilmeister to go up bye- and-bye and put the logs of wood together, and be sure all was consumed.
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