One remarkable event occurred, viz., the finding amongst the blacks the figure-head of a small schooner, which had at some period been cast ashore. It was the bust of a female, smaller than life, roughly made, and painted red with white eyes. The red had been so worn off as to assume a darkish brown colour. This simulacrum the blacks used to carry with them, and danced round and worshipped it as a fetish. There was much difficulty in getting it from them.
By the aid of some blacks bought over by largess, Bunjaleena was one day surprised and made prisoner; but he was too wary to have the white woman with him. He acknowledged her existence, declaring that she belonged to his brother, and not to himself. He was detained, and the only privation in addition to confinement to which he was subjected, was the ordinary white man's rations, considered, insufficient fare, for he pretended to be half-starved, and was eternally yelping for more "tucker." He promised that, if released, he would restore the white woman before three moons; but this offer was disregarded.
The Commissioner and his State prisoner at length showed a disposition to come to terms so far that certain propositions were actually committed to paper and "signed, sealed and witnessed." This, so far as I know, is the second instance of the execution of such a formal black and white negotiation (the first being the celebrated Batman purchase treaty), and as it is a document quite unique in its way, a copy is appended:—
Memorandum of agreement entered into this day between Charles J. Tyers, Esq., on the part of Her Majesty's Government, and Bunjaleena, Chief of the Gippsland tribes.
I, Bunjaleena, promise to deliver to Charles J. Tyers, the white female residing with the Gippsland blacks, provided a party of whites and Western Port blacks proceed with me to the mountains at as early a day as may be convenient, for the purpose of obtaining her from my brother. I also agree to leave my two wives and two children with the said Charles J. Tyers, as hostages for the fulfilment of my promise. And I, Charles J. Tyers, promise on the part of Her Majesty's Government, to give Bunjaleena one boat, with oars, a tent, four blankets, a guernsey frock, some fishhooks and a fishing line, and a tomahawk for the said Bunjaleena's own use; and six blankets, two tomahawks, three guernsey frocks, and other articles, between three or four men of the said Bunjaleena's tribes, who may be instrumental in the recovery of the said white female, conditioned that the said Bunjaleena fulfil his part of the agreement.
BUNJALEENA X His Mark
Witness—S. WINDRIDGE, CHAS. J. TYERS.
Witness to the Agreement—S. WINDRIDGE, WILLIAM PETERS, DONALD McLEOD, RICHARD HARTNETT.
Done at Eagle Point, Gippsland, this Seventeenth Day of May, One Thousand Eight Hundred and Forty-seven.
In pursuance of this bargain, a party returned to the mountain ranges, but with no result, for Bunjaleena either could not, or would not, keep the pact to which he had so solemnly affixed the sign of the cross. It was surmised that he had never intended to have acted in good faith, and that he had, by some means, warned his compatriots to keep the white woman far out of reach. Bunjaleena was next transferred, with certain wives and children given by him as hostages, to the native police station at Narree Warren, where they were committed to the charge of the Commandant. The Chief was not kept a close prisoner, but placed under the strictest surveillance, and some of the black troopers were detached for special and continuous watch duty over him. After being detained in this way for some time they were released. It was now fast advancing to mid-winter, so the expedition was broken up, and there was no occasion to form another, for on the 5th November intelligence reached Melbourne that on the 29th October the dead bodies of a white woman and child were found by Tommy, a native trooper, at a place called Jemmy's Point, on the bank of a Gippsland lake, some four miles from the residence of Commissioner Tyers. The next day a quasi-official enquiry was held by Mr. M'Millan, and there was a general agreement that the remains were those of the white woman and one of her children. The corpses were interred on the 1st November, in the presence of the European residents in the neighbourhood. It was a singular want of thought that no sufficient effort was made to endeavour to establish the identity of the adult.
It was subsequently ascertained, by information gathered from the natives, that after Bunjaleena's arrest, his brother seized upon the white woman, when another, and a stronger man took her from him by physical force, and kept her until, as surmised, the brother out of vengeance, watched an opportunity, and murdered both woman and child.
This was the last ever heard of the sorrowful story of the white woman, and of the most pitiable and painful tragedy that ever shadowed the canvas of the colony's history.
