Continent of Smoke
by
Jeff Timbery, Alberta Hornsby, John & Clare MacDonald
Episode Three
22th April 1770 (cont’d)
Noon.
THE DISTANT COAST and further inland PIGEON HOUSE HILL.
PARKINSON is on deck, his drawing board on his lap, carefully recording a profile of Pigeon House Hill.
(His drawing is a true representation of the coastal scene. The first ever depiction of an eastern Australian landscape.)
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OPEN OCEAN. DISTANT COAST. BANKS’S SKIFF.
23rd April
9am
THE SHIP lies becalmed, eighteen miles from shore. A little way from the ship BANKS sits in his tiny SKIFF with his SHOTGUN, watching an empty sky for birds. Servant PETER BRISCOE (26 years), has the oars. DR SOLANDER, his DIPPING NET ready, inspects the water for possible specimens. He scoops up a colourful PORTUGUESE MAN OF WAR. Carefully manoeuvering it and its long tentacles he deposits it into a jar.
A GANNET flies towards them. Banks raises his gun, but the bird swerves away out of range. His attention wanders, and his gaze fixes on the DISTANT COAST where the SMOKE OF A LARGE FIRE billows into the clear blue sky.
BANKS
You see that Doctor?… that’s larger than anything we’ve seen before!
SOLANDER
Yes…. Yes indeed. As large as any we saw in New Zealand…
BANKS
… and by implication you grant to these inhabitants the skills of cultivation and agriculture?
They observe the DISTANT SMOKE and LANDSCAPE in thoughtful silence.
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THE GREAT CABIN.
PARKINSON puts the finishing touches to his watercolour of the PORTUGUESE MAN OF WAR, the live specimen of which is suspended in a glass bottle beside him.
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THE SHIP ADJACENT CAPE ST GEORGE.
24th April
Noon
The SHIP is underway again, but still far out. BANKS and SOLANDER on deck observing the DISTANT COAST.
COOK (Journal entry)
“At noon a point of land I named Cape St George we having discovered it on that Saints day, bore west nineteen miles.”
(Cape St George – Bherwerre – Yuin country – Wandandian people)
COOK (Journal entry)
“About two leagues to the northward of Cape St George the shore seems to form a bay (Jervis Bay) which appeared to be sheltered from the NE winds but as we had the wind it was not in my power to look into it.”
(Jervis Bay –Booderee – Yuin country)
COOK (Journal entry)
“The north point of this bay I named Long Nose.”
(Long Nose now Point Perpendicular – Yuin country)
BANKS (Journal entry)
“Two large fires were seen and several smaller.”
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THE SHIP ADJACENT RED POINT
25th April
11am.
COOK, BANKS, PARKINSON, DR SOLANDER and OTHERS on deck. Eleven miles to the west, the SMOKE OF FOUR LARGE FIRES hangs in the sky in different places along the coast around Kiama.
COOK (Journal entry)
“In the course of this days run, we saw the smoke of fire in several places near the sea beach.”
PARKINSON
There! There’s another starting up!
Now as they watch, a FURTHER FIRE flares up, extending the line of smokes.
PARKINSON
Might they be designed as a signal to us?
BANKS
I suppose the gentlemen ashore have a plentiful breakfast to prepare!
SOLANDER chuckles.
A FURTHER SMOKE appears.
PARKINSON
See…. another!
(Kiama – Kiarama – Dharawal country – Wodi Wodi people)
BANKS (Journal entry)
“The country resembled in my imagination the back of a lean cow, covered in general with long hair, but nevertheless where her scraggy hip bones have stuck out farther than they ought accidental rubs and knocks have entirely bared them of their share of covering.”
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5pm
COOK (Journal entry)
“Saw several smokes along shore before dark.”
BANKS (Journal entry)
“All fires were put out about five o’clock.”
FADE TO NIGHT…
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26th April
COOK (Journal entry)
“Two or three times a fire in the night.”
FADE TO DAY…
BANKS (Journal entry)
“Fires were seen during the day the same as yesterday but none so large.”
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THE SEA. THE SHIP ADJACENT BELLAMBI POINT.
27th April
Noon
THE SHIP is dramatically close to land – only 2 miles.
The SMOKE OF A SINGLE FIRE on BELLAMBI POINT is the only smoke visible.
(Bellambi Point – Beelambi – Dharawal country)
Giant Cuttlefish – Sepia apama
BANKS (Journal entry)
“Some bodies of three feet long and a half as broad floated very buoyant past the ship; they were supposed to be cuttlefish bones which indeed they a good deal resembled, but for their enormous size.”
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1pm
BANKS (Journal entry)
“After dinner the captain proposed to hoist out boats and attempt to land, which gave me no small satisfaction.”
Landing preparations are underway and the ship is alive with activity.
In anticipation of making first contact with the unknown people of this new continent, the Europeans are formally attired. Not knowing the temperament of these inhabitants, and with the taste of regret from their New Zealand bloody experience still fresh in their memory, they prepared themselves for whatever reception they might receive.
THE YAWL is already launched, and loaded with the MARINES – SERGEANT JOHN EDGCUMBE, DRUMMER THOMAS ROSSITER, and PRIVATES SAMUEL GIBSON and THOMAS DUNSTER – all uniformed and armed…… and four oarsmen.
THE PINNACE settles neatly into the water beside the yawl.
COXSWAIN EVANS and TWO CREW fend her off the ship’s side.
Quickly down the Jacob’s ladder go SIX OARSMEN, and after them, COOK, HICKES, MIDSHIPMAN ISAAC SMITH (all uniformed) BANKS, DR SOLANDER, TUPIA, and BRISCOE. Several muskets are handed down, and other equipment.
EVANS pushes off, and the oarsmen haul towards the shore. They have gone about fifty yards when the rowers’ timing flounders and confusion reigns. THE PINNACE hauls round and makes her way back towards the ship.
She comes into view beneath where BOATSWAIN GATHREY stares down from the rail.
Her passengers are up to their ankles in water. The pinnace is sinking fast!
COOK storms up the ladder to the deck. Followed by the OTHERS.
COOK (To Gathrey)
Well don’t stand there gawkin’ man…. hoist her in!
SAILOR (high in the tops, shouts)
There be people on the beach!
EVERYONE stops to look.
In the distance the tiny figures of FOUR ABORIGINAL MEN are walking briskly along the shore, two of them carrying a CANOE on their shoulders.
(Wodi Wodi people of the Dharawal nation)
BANKS
….and a canoe if I’m not mistaken Mister Parkinson!
SAILOR
They’re coming off to us!
They watch.
The FOUR MEN take up a position on some rocks and sit down.
ANOTHER SAILOR (lower down but still high in the rigging)
Nah… they’re not coming.
COOK
LOOK TO THE PINNACE BOATSWAIN!… and have those men vacate the yawl!
BOATSWAIN GATHREY blows hard on his pipe.
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THE YAWL, loaded to the brim with COOK, BANKS, DR SOLANDER, TUPIA, COXSWAIN and FOUR OARSMEN, makes towards the shore.
Cook is dressed in blue coat and white waistcoat. He and most others wear hats. Tupia is dressed as before.
The FOUR MEN sit on the rocks watching.
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THE ROCKS & BEACH AT BELLAMBI POINT.
THE FOUR KOORI MEN ON THE ROCKS.
(All speak in Tharawal language subtitled in English. This continues throughout the script.)
FIRST KOORI
It’s a barangga (large vessel) and they’re Maiyal alright (Invaders).
(Translation in progress)
SECOND KOORI
They comin’ in alright.
ELDER
Them Sea Spirits, they bring ’em here. Them that twist in the wind and hide in the clouds.
THIRD KOORI
Why’s them comin’ in here then?
FIRST KOORI
I’m not waiting to find out. We know what them Maiyal are like.
SECOND KOORI
Yeah, we’d better get back to our mob. Get away quick and tell ’em.
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The boat is now within A QUARTER OF A MILE of the FOUR MEN. The FOUR KOORI MEN suddenly “…flee into the woods”.
BANKS follows them through his telescope until they disappear.
DR SOLANDER
…. Well, what do you make of that then?… they’ve run away!
BANKS
And they’ve left their canoes! Well … they are exceedingly black!…
A WAVE almost upsets the YAWL.
The tiny YAWL on the dangerous edge of a GIANT SURF.
COOK
We’ll make no landing here Coxswain…
COXSWAIN
Yes Captain.
The YAWL heads southward along the shore in search of a better landing place.
COOK (Journal entry)
“Our disappointment was heightened when we found that nowhere could we effect a landing by reason of the giant surf which beat every where upon the shore.”
BANKS gazes through his telescope at the passing shore and the stands of cabbage palms
Livistona australis
BANKS
Extraordinary Doctor!… the only thing to which I can fit a name is the cabbage tree!
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5pm
THE SHIP ADJACENT WOLLONGONG BEACH & THE FIVE ISLANDS.
CALM. THE SHIP A MILE AND A HALF FROM SHORE. THE FIVE ISLANDS are dangerously close to the south.
COOK (Journal entry)
“We returned to the ship about 5 in the evening. At this time it fell calm and we were not above a mile and a half from the shore in 11 fathom of water and within some breakers (Five Islands) that lay to the southward of us, but luckily a light breeze came from the land which carried us out of danger and with which we stood to the northward.“
(The five Islands – Woolyungah – Dharawal country – Wodi Wodi people)
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Night
THE COAST AT AUSTINMER NIGHT. THE FOUR KOORI MEN (Dharawal men) and TWO DHARAWAL ELDERS of the same Wodi Wodi clan are gathered on the seashore.
Eight miles offshore, the SHIP can be just made out, her STERN LANTERN, a tiny speck of light, marking her position.
FIRST ELDER
What’s that fire?
(Translation in progress)
SECOND KOORI MAN
That’s them, they’re heading north.
SECOND ELDER
We need to keep an eye on them. Warn our brothers.
FIRST ELDER
Get up a big fire. Youse two get going. Warn them Coledale mob.
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Night
The GROUP load more wood onto the already blazing SIGNAL FIRE. The MESSENGER-MEN ignite their FIRESTICKS (stringybark torches) in the flames.
Carrying FIRESTICKS, the shadowy figures of the TWO MESSENGER-MEN from the AUSTINMER MOB make their way along the coastal track parallel to the SHIP’S LANTERN LIGHT as it heads slowly north.
The TWO AUSTINMER MESSENGER-MEN arrive at the COLEDALE DHARAWAL MOB’S CAMP.
On a high point of the coast, they help to heap wood onto ANOTHER SIGNAL FIRE.
TWO FRESH RUNNERS from the COLEDALE MOB set off north with their FIRESTICKS to alert OTHER DHARAWAL CLANS further up the coast.
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AT DIFFERENT HIGH PLACES ALONG THE SHORE.
BANKS (Journal entry)
“In the course of the night many fires were seen.”
From the SHIP the COAST is lit by REPEATING SIGNAL FIRES as the signals make their way north to CAPE BANKS on the northern peninsula of Botany Bay.
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To be continued in Episode Four