Continent of Smoke
by
Jeff Timbery, Alberta Hornsby, John & Clare MacDonald
Episode Seven
30th April 1770
BEFORE DAYBREAK
The DARKENED OUTLINE OF THE SOUTH SHORE.
Abreast of the ship, the SOUND OF SHOUTING from the SHORE. THE WARRIORS are shouting insults at the Europeans.
WARRIOR’S VOICES (Shouting)
Myalls!
Go back where you come from maiyai!
(Translation in progress)
Cowards!
Get away from Kamay! Go back to yer own country!
Thieves!
We don’t want you here!
Monsters with no lore!
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SUNRISE
FIFTEEN ARMED WARRIORS can now be seen walking away along the beach adjacent the ship … they disappear into the bush where they light fires about a mile away.
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MORNING
Gentle breezes northerly. COOK in the PINNACE sounding westward along the northern shore of Botany Bay …
… the WATERERS at work by the STREAM … and TWO MARINES.
… the WOODERS felling trees … and TWO MARINES.
… BANKS, DR SOLANDER and entourage, gathering BOTANICAL SPECIMENS in the woods …
… the ship’s butcher, HENRY JEFFS, minding the ship’s livestock – HOGS from the Islands, feasting on fallen nuts beneath PALM TREES (Livistonia australis) … SHEEP, and the ship’s GOAT, grazing the long grass.
… the GRASS CUTTERS, and TWO MARINES working with their sickles, with SERGEANT EDGCUMBE watching over them.
SERGEANT EDGCUMBE looks up. SMOKE hangs in the sky close by.
The troupe of FIFTEEN WARRIORS advance out of the woods towards the GRASS CUTTERS, their WOOMERAS glinting in the sun. (“…having in their hands sticks that shone like muskets”).
EDGCUMBE stands up.
EDGCUMBE (to himself)
Painted wood be dammed … that’s metal!
PRIVATE WILSHIRE
Hey sergeant …
EDGCUMBE
Yeah I seen ‘em … gather yer selves together then … and move back to the others of us!
THE GRASS CUTTERS give up their ground, and retreat in a group, in the direction of the waterers and wooders.
THE WARRIORS pursue them at a distance (“220 yards”), SHOUTING at the Europeans.
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EVENING
GREAT CABIN
BANKS (Journal entry)
“At night they came again in the same manner and acted over again the same half pursuit.”
From the stern windows of the Great Cabin COOK watches the shore where the GROUP OF GRASS CUTTERS AND SERGEANT EDGCUMBE are hurrying, for a second time, towards the safety of the WATERERS AND WOODERS, pursued again by the same SHOUTING WARRIORS WAVING THEIR WEAPONS (Ten of them this time).
Cook moves quickly to the cabin door.
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THE BEACH OPPOSITE THE SHIP
COOK lands on the beach in the YAWL near the WATERERS, where he is met by SERGEANT EDGCUMBE. They have a brief conversation. Then he pushes past EDGCUMBE and heads off, ALONE AND UNARMED, after THE TEN WARRIORS who are walking back along the shore.
EDGCUMBE runs after him with the offer of a MUSKET. COOK waves him away and continues unarmed and alone.
COOK follows THE WARRIORS. Finally, they stop and face him.
COOK’S pace slows, and he stops. He judges the distance back to his own COMPANY and decides to retire.
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NIGHT
THE GREAT CABIN
Lose activity on south shore but keep north stuff.
COOK, BANKS, and DR SOLANDER are having supper.
BANKS (to Cook)
Shouting? They shouted to us too!
COOK
Shouting has been the main business of their day.
BANKS
…and ran away into the woods before the boat was within half a mile of them! …
COOK
Where was this?
BANKS
…although she did not even go towards them! On the northern side of the bay. I landed on the small island there to search for shells (Bare Island). In going away I saw them on the main. There were six of them.
COOK
Well, I think we should resort to our usual practice. … use whatever opportunity presents itself to capture some of them, use them with all kindness, clothe them, and return them unharmed to their fellows. Such proof of our pacific intentions should be sufficient to engage them to pay us a visit, and enter into some commerce and traffic.
BANKS
We could combine that resolve with an excursion into the country.
COOK
Indeed. Tomorrow then!
End of third day at Botany Bay
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To be continued in Episode Eight