| Narrative | John Lewis was making his way to establish the Coburg [sic] Cattle Company pastoral lease. His party included Charles Levi, George Reid, Jack Crossman, Ling Ah Hoo, an Aboriginal man named Prince from Port Essington, and Neddie Lewis. John Lewis (1922, pp 141-144) takes up the commentary: ‘Levi and I made through the reeds to the open plain, where the horses were. We found them surrounded by between sixty to seventy armed natives, with spears ready for action, who, as soon as they saw us, ran together and formed a very formidable body. Yelling and dancing, they rushed towards us and threw their spears…Fortunately none touched us. We knew that if we turned the natives would chase and probably overpower us, and the only thing to do was to shoot at them, which we did. Many of them were hit, although we could not be sure that any of them were fatally wounded. We shot twenty-one rounds, and then had only our revolvers left. They stood their ground, so we charged, and when they saw us coming they disappeared behind some reeds. When we let our horses go and formed our camp the natives came down from the hills on the eastern side in great numbers. We had six staghounds, which we tied to pegs driven in the ground to keep them from chasing the natives, who came nearer and nearer until they got within about 150 yards. Then they threw spears. Meantime we had taken up positions behind our packsaddles and arranged a good supply of bullets, which were nicely greased. The Chinaman had a double-barrelled gun loaded with buck-shot. The natives kept encroaching until they got near to send a shower of spears over us (many of which stuck in our baggage), and then we fired. We kept up fire for a long time, and many of them were injured. These were taken away by the lubras, who made a hideous row. We maintained fire for nearly half an hour, and then they retreated. We finished cooking our turkey, and had a most enjoyable meal....[next day] I turned round to see the rest [of the men in the party] come through, when I heard Levi cry “Look out!” Then I saw a shower of spears falling around me. Fortunately, I was close under the cliff, and out of reach of the spears; and although many fell around the Chinaman and Levi, and two touched the ammunition pack, nobody was injured. We heard the men yelling at the back, and the horses came through the gorge at a great rush….one native, who had been very determined the day before and was very active on this occasion, stood on the edge of the cliff throwing spear after spear. He must have been struck by one of the rifle bullets, as he disappeared soon afterwards. We adjusted the packs and made north, thinking that the natives would follow us into the forest country, as they had done the year before; but they thought discretion the better part of valour, and we saw them no more’. |
