FL14372937

[MS 620]

with ?, that he could raise, leaving his own
farm unprotected - he also sent and prepared all
the arms and ammunition in his district he with
men to use them, when we assembled at their
place on monday morning four or five women
came with dreadful tidings, saying that three
of Mrs Mcarthurs servants where fallen victims to
the dreaful activities of the savage natives, at
upper camden that they where on their way
to lower camden - when we all fel in and dis
tributed our ammunition amongst each other
which afforded but a small
proportion to each man: when we marched to low
er camden, where we where joined by another
party of men - when in my opinion we mustered
about
forty armed men some with muskets some
with pistols, some with pitchforks, some with picks
and others with nothing, from thence we proc
eeded to uper camden with an intent only to act
on the offencive and if possible to take them
prisoners; that being the Governors orders _
on our arrival there we found that the
most mischieveous party of the natives where
moved to the N.W. of that place, with our intent
as before mentioned, we took from thence a small
company of the more friendly natives who

[MS 621]
informed us they could take our party to
camp of those natives at the same time tell
ing us that they would show fight when
ever attacked, which proved to be the case;
we had not gon far before our guides
told us that they where there, when Mr
Low desire at Budderah to in coperate to
them our intent but they would not
adhere to what he said, but immediately
began to dance in a manner dareing our
approach, we immediately advanced toward
them when they thriew a shower of spears
among us, we commenced a fire
but to little affect owing to the disorder of our
men and the bad and dangerous situation
we where in, the enemy was posted on an
high perpendicular rock and we under
neath where the spears and stones come
in great abundance, which caused us to retre
at but was performed in such a manner that
it was a wonder a great number of us was not kill
ed, some even threw off their shoes to enable
them to run fast, others being weak and feable
rowled down the Hill, the natives still pressing