Page:Tales-of-Banks-Peninsula Jacobson 2ed 1893 cropped.pdf/88

The records in Hempleman’s diary of the events of 1839 are very unsatisfactory. There are bare statements, no doubt intelligible to those who knew all about it, but to us, living so long after, many bear no coherent meaning. Some of the most interesting passages in the diary refer to the murder of some Northern Natives, who came from Queen Charlotte’s Sound, and who were working with Captain Hempleman. It appears there were two boys named Jacky and Tommy, who worked in the whaleboats, besides several women living with Hempleman’s men. One of these women was actually killed, and Simpson in speaking of it always refers to it regretfully, because he says he could have saved her life by buying her for a blanket, if he had only known. Bloody Jack being at feud with the Northern Natives, and knowing some of them were in Hempleman’s camp, came down to kill them, and did actually kill one boy. It appears that this boy Jacky was walking up the Peraki hill with some of the white whalers when they met the Maoris. Jacky was carrying a basket of potatoes, which he dropped instantly and ran for dear life; but they were too quick. One soon overtook him, and stunned him by striking him on the back of the head with a greenstone mere mere, and Bloody Jack then shot him through the head with a musket. The other boy, as will be seen by the diary, was ransomed, and there is a tale to the effect that Hempleman kept him stowed away in a cask for days, and so enabled him to escape the vigilance of Bloody Jack and his followers. We append a few extracts from the log verbatim, thinking it best not to alter either spelling or composition in any particular:—

“Saturday, October 26.—Fine weather throughout. At 10 a.m. one boat’s crew to the river, in search of provisions; at 2 p.m. one out fishing; carpenter employed as yesterday.