Our Indooroopilly - Pamphlet & Company walk to Noosa, Aust.

Readings from Primary Sources on Moreton Bay & Brisbane

These "Readings" from Barron Field's book, Geographical Memoirs of New South Wales are reprinted from J.G. Steele, The Explorers of the Moreton Bay District 1770-1830, Brisbane, 1972. They relate the first part of the story of the three castaways, Thomas Pamphlet, John Finnegan and Richard Parsons, Narrative of Thomas Pamphlet, as told to John Uniacke and published in Barron Field's book. Field's version has evidently been redrafted from a manuscript in the Mitchell Library which may well have been in John Uniacke's writing. Steele quotes the manuscript in footnotes whenever it appears to be more accurate.
Note that Footnotes are per J.G. Steele.

Story so far— Pamphlet, Parsons and Finnegan, three ticket-of-leave convicts, had been blown north from Sydney by a storm in an open boat and had wrecked on Moreton Island. They eventually crossed South Passage to Stradbroke Island. With kind treatment by local Aborigines and strength restored, they were set on returning to Sydney which they believed lay north. Building a canoe, they crossed to the mainland and then proceeded by foot up the right bank of a large river, the Brisbane river. Retracing their steps, they returned to the mouth. After resting for a month, they struck north for a headland they believed to be Jervis Bay. They reach Noosa...

Extracts from the Narrative of Thomas Pamphlet

[BRIBIE TO MAROOCHYDORE, OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 1823]
(Continued by John Finnegan, Pamphlet being sick)

We had resided with these blacks about four or five days,¹ when Pamphlet, having gone out fishing with them one day, came back and said it was useless to remain there any longer, as he had seen the head of Jervis's Bay ² at a distance of about fifteen miles, and, therefore, proposed to go to it the next day. To this Parsons agreed; but as I had every reason to fear violence from Parsons, who had once or twice attempted to kill me, I resolved to remain where I was for the present, till I had fairly gotten rid of him, and then to attempt to travel by myself.

They accordingly set out the next morning, and I remained behind, with the chief of the tribe, who had been very kind to me ever since our arrival here. However, the next evening Parsons and Pamphlet, being unable to procure food, returned to the huts. Here we all remained for about a month; during which time we were distributed in different huts among the natives, the old chief always keeping me with him, while every one of the tribe contributed to our support, one bringing fish, another dingowa, and so on; so that we were as comfortable as we could expect to be in our situation.

At the end of a month we again grew anxious to get home, if possible, and accordingly resolved to make one more effort. Having collected a great quantity of fish and dingowa, we set out one afternoon,³ and pursued our course northward along the beach ⁴ for about ten miles;⁵ here we intended to pass the night; but just as we had made our fire, four of the blacks, with whom we had been living, came up with us, and used every entreaty to make us return with them. However, we imagined that they only followed us in consequence of our having promised them the axe and some other things, which we had not given them; and that in all probability more of their tribe would arrive before morning; we therefore drove them away, and proceeded about a mile further, and there rested for the night. We resumed our journey very early next morning,- and in the course of the day were overtaken by a black man and woman belonging to the tribe we had left. These people also tried to prevail on us to return, but without success; and after accompanying us about a mile, they struck into the bush and left us.

Towards evening we came to a river,⁶ which appeared too considerable for us to attempt to cross; we therefore rested on the bank that night, and next morning went up it about a mile. Here we found a canoe, and brought it down to the place where we had slept, and in the afternoon at low-water we crossed the river in it, and rested on the other bank that night. The next morning we proceeded on our journey, and in the course of the day fell in with another smaller river,⁷ on the bank of which were a number of huts. Here we found an old black man, who was unable to move, both his legs and arms having been broken at some distant period,and never having been set. There were also three women, with some children, all eating fish, with which, on our arrival, they instantly supplied us. Here we stopped for three days, when, having observed a woman crossing the river at low water by walking, we did the same, and again proceeded on our journey.

The same day we fell in with another river,⁸ up the bank of which we walked two days, and on the second evening met some natives, among whom we were surprised to see a man belonging to the tribe with whom we had tarried so long; he was one of the four who had followed us the day we left them. This man, when we first arrived among his tribe, was laid up with a spearwound in the knee, and was cured by Pamphlet, by extracting part of the spear that had broken in the wound. He had in consequence become much attached to Pamphlet, and now again urgently entreated him to return with him. To this Pamphlet, whose feet had become extremely sore, at last consented. His friend was then on his way to a great meeting of natives, where he was to fight the man who had wounded him. Accordingly the next morning, Pamphlet and he set out together for the fight, while Parsons and I pursued our journey.

ACCOUNT OF A FIGHT WITNESSED BY THOMAS PAMPHLET ⁹[NOVEMBER 1823] About the time of our first arrival ¹⁰ at Pumice-stone River, the young native whom we called the Doctor, and who used to bore the noses and scarify the skins of the rest of the tribe, had been wounded in the knee with a spear, while out on a hunting expedition, by a native of another tribe, at a distance of fifty miles to the northward. As the spear had broken in the wound, there was a good deal of inflammation in his leg, when he applied to me to cure him. This I effected by extracting a large splinter from his knee, and in a short time he was quite recovered. As soon as his cure was effected and he was able once more to go out fishing and hunting, he sallied forth, accompanied by several of his tribe, in order to take satisfaction of the man who had wounded him; and having a great liking for me, on account of my having cured him, he insisted ¹¹ on my going with him.

The spot appointed for the combat was a small ring,¹² about twenty-five feet in diameter, about three feet deep, and surrounded by a palisade of sticks. The crowd assembled to see the fight amounted to about 500 men, women and children; and the combatants, followed by those who were friendly to them respectively, approached the ring in single file, and drew up in a regular manner on opposite sides of the circle. The whole assembly were well armed, many of them having five or six spears each. The two combatants then entered the ring, and having laid down their spears in opposite rows, point to point, began walking backwards and forwards, talking loudly to each other and using violent gestures, as if to inflame their passions to a due height. The women had previously been driven away, and the most profound silence reigned in the rest of the assembly. After about ten minutes spent in this way, they commenced picking up their spears with their feet, keeping their eyes fixed on each other, so as to prevent either from taking advantage of the other's stooping. In this manner they proceeded till they had each three spears, which they stuck in the ground, ready for immediate use. At the moment when they commenced thus picking up their spears, a tremendous shout burst from the spectators, who immediately relapsed into their former silence. All now being ready, one or two of the friends of each party spoke across the ring for a few minutes; and as soon as they ceased, the Doctor threw his spear with all his force at the other, who, however, succeeded in warding it off with a kind of wooden shield called an elemong, into which, however, it penetrated three or four inches. The other then threw in his turn; but his spear was also warded off in the same manner. The third spear which the Doctor threw penetrated quite through the shoulder of his adversary, who instantly fell, when one or two of his friends, jumping into the ring, pulled out the spear, and returned it to its owner; and the tournament concluded with loud huzzas from all parties. They all then returned to huts, which had been erected for the occasion, and the next day they again met at the ring, in order to give the friends of the wounded man an opportunity to avenge his quarrel. But it appeared that no one wished to do so, as each had now wounded the other, and a reconciliation took place between the two tribes, which was announced by shouting, dancing, &c.; and a parcel of boys were selected from each party, and sent into the ring to wrestle: after which both tribes joined in a hunting expedition, which lasted a week; but my feet being sore, I was consigned to the care of the women.

[NOOSA, BRIBIE, AND RESCUE, NOVEMBER 1823]
[Continuing "Narrative of Thomas Pamphlet", at this stage being narrated by Finnegan]
The next day we crossed the river, ¹³ and continued travelling for two days longer, when, arriving at the bank of another river, ¹⁴ a quarrel arose between Parsons and me, on which he opened his knife and swore he would murder me. I then ran into the bush, and he followed me: however, I succeeded in getting away from him, and travelled till evening with great expedition up the bank of the river. At night-fall I met a party of blacks crossing the river in three canoes, and endeavoured by signs to make them understand that I wished to cross too. This they would not allow, ¹⁵ but made me turn back with a fishing black and his wife, who, after four days, brought me to the place from whence I had at first set out. Here I found Pamphlet, and was again received by the old chief with the greatest kindness, he seeming quite delighted with my return.

1.	They were now on the Pumicestone Channel, near Point Skirmish (then the name for the southern end of Bribie Island). The time was late September.
2.	90 miles south of Sydney. He probably saw Caloundra.
3.	About 1 November.
4.	The east coast of Bribie Island.
5.	This distance is probably fairly accurate.
6.	The Pumicestone Channel at Caloundra.
7.	The Mooloolah River at Point Cartwright.
8.	The Maroochy River at Maroochydore.
9.	This account is taken from Uniacke's "Narrative of Mr. John Oxley's Expedition" in Field, op. cit., pp. 27-86. The "Narrative of Thomas Pamphlet" is continued later.
10.	About the end of September 1823.
11.	On meeting Pamphlet at the Maroochy River.
12.	In 1862, Tom Petrie came upon a "large gathering of blacks", near Petrie's Creek, a tributary of the Maroochy River. This may have been a traditional meeting place, and the ring in which the fight took place may have been a "kippa ring".
13.	The Maroochy River.
14.	The Noosa River, at Noosa.
15.	Oxley's field book for 30 November 1823, states: "Finigan, soon after quitting Parsons, fell in with some who had seen him in Moreton Bay, and they would not suffer him to proceed northerly as was his wish, intimating to him that he would meet with people who would illuse him.".