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Tales of Banks Peninsula

No. 4—George Hempleman's Diary

page 72

No. 4—George Hempleman's Diary.

The compiler has had placed at his disposal a number of log books, which comprise the diary of George Hempleman. They are yellow with age, dating from November, 1835, at which time Captain Hempleman sailed from Sydney to Banks Peninsula on a whaling voyage in the brig Bee. It was on the 29th November that the brig left Pinch Gut, where she had been lying, and, after a short anchorage at Watson's Bay, finally cleared the Heads, a terrible thunderstorm from the southward prevailing at the time No damage, however, was done, and the vessel got clear of the coast without mishap. The usual events of a voyage followed, but on December 20 a poor woman who had stowed herself in the fore-hold "for love of Mr. Wright's nephew," as it is quaintly put, was discovered. She was, of course, sent back to Sydney by the first opportunity, which happened to be in the whaling barque called the Governor Bourke, with 1200 barrels of oil aboard.

Toere were many vessels spoken, and most of them seem to have had a lot of oil aboard, showing how plentiful whales were in those days The Bee, however, seems to have been a very leaky craft, for they had to pump ship every two or three hours. On Monday, December 21, they got a supply of vegetables from Lord Howe's Island. On January 11, 1836, the first whale was captured. A sperm whale that yielded thirty-one barrels was caught on January 25, but the leak kept increasing, and on the 30th they tried to discover where the water came in by breaking out the run, but were unsuccessful.

On Saturday, the 6th of February, the East Cape was made, and the ship hove to for Natives to come aboard with pigs and potatoes. She got a good lot, and then stood away to the southward. On Wednesday, the 17th, to quote the log, "Strong breezes and squally. Made and shortened sail as required, and lay-to till daylight; then stood in for the harbour, to come to an anchor in 4½ fathoms water, clay bottom." The harbour was in Banks page 73Peninsula, but whether or not it was Akaroa is a moot point. Some persons are of opinion it was Port Levy. At anyrate, where it was, they found a convenient place for hauling the brig ashore, and, stripping off the copper, found several bad places. Wherever the harbour was it must have been close to Akaroa, for on March 27 we read that two boats were sent to "Wangaloor," as it is spelt, and on April 15 a boat was sent to Pigeon Bay to cut spars for a house. On the 18th April they commenced building a house of "timber and flags," the latter, no doubt, being raupo. Maoris helped them at the work. On the 27th of the same month the American ships Friendship and Nile arrived. From this time whales seem to have been very plentiful, for there are almost daily records of their being taken. The Caroline, ship, Captain Cherry, arrived on May 20, so the harbour, wherever it was, must have been quite lively. Some of the whales gave them a good deal of trouble, for we hear of the boats being stove in, and of narrow escapes; but fish, as they called them, were very numerous indeed, no less than ten being caught in one week.

On Friday, July 15, they finished their shore works, and all hands were employed getting ready the vessel for sea, and on the 16th they sailed. They got a number of whales outside, and returned to the harbour to try them out At length, on Sunday, the 24th of the same month, the vessel put to sea. The voyage back to Sydney was very uneventful and quiet, and on the 9th of August the pilot came on board, and the same evening the good brig Bee, with her valuable freight, dropped anchor in Sydney Harbour.

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 that there were two boys page 74Jacky and Tommy, who worked in the whaleboats, besides several women living with Captain 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 Piraki 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 big 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.

"Sunday, October 27.—Fine weather throughout. People employed shooting in the bush, one boat's crew at the river.

"Monday, October 28.—Fine weather throughout. At 9 a.m. the captain went out fishing and returned at 6 p.m. with a boat's crew from the river, who brought a good supply of pigeqns; carpenter employed as yesterday.

"Tuesday, October 29.—Fine weather throughout One boat out fishing, but returned shortly the wind being too strong, carpenter employed as yesterday.

"Wednesday, October 30.—Strong winds throughout page 75from S.W. At 10 a m. one boat's crew went to the river; carpenter employed as yesterday.

"Thursday, October 31 - Fine weather throughout. At 10 a.m the boat's crew heard the report of guns up the river, and found it to be two Maoris from Bloody Jack, who was in Oashore Bay, with fifteen boats. At 11 a.m. walked up the hill to Maori Harbor, where the boat was hauled up, when were greatly surprised at seeing about one hundred natives, who came with the intention of killing the boy Jacky, which they did in the most barbarous manner, when having got to Maori Harbor, they refused us our boat, we then walked over the hill to the next bay, where they kept us as prisoners, carpenter employed as yesterday.

"Friday, November 1—Fine weather throughout. The river party still as prisoners, being in great suspense, not knowing whether they were to live or die, still kept as prisoners; carpenter employed as yesterday.

"Saturday, November 2—Fine weather throughout. This day the river party were escorted to Peracy Bay by Bloody Jack's boats, who cause ashore at 10 a.m. and hauled their boats up, on their first landing, they discovered the other boy Tommy when in the act of killing him a chief named Tyroa prevented them by claiming the boy, and shortly after came upon the captain for payment for the boy, which was a new six oared boat, which the captain consented to, knowing it to be the only way of saving the boy's life; carpenter stowed away in the bush.

"Sunday, November 3.—Fine weather throughout. Bloody Jack and his crew still ashore, who asked the big boat as payment for the place, which the captain gave, with three new sails; carpenter still in the bush.

"Monday, November 4,—Fine weather. At 10 a.m. Bloody Jack and his gang started for Wangaloa; at 11 a m. one boat out fishing; at half past ten a.m. carpenter came out of the bush. This day took two white men on, who came with gang from Otago.

"Tuesday, November 5.—Fine weather throughout. One boat out all day fishing; carpenter employed at Tonguers boat.

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"Wednesday, November 6.—Fine weather throughout One boat out all day fishing; carpenter employed as yesterday.

"Thursday, November 7.—Strong winds from the N. One boat out fishing; at 8 a m. saw five of Bloody Jack's boats pass the heads bound to the southward; carpenters and sawyers at work."

Such is the brief record existing of a tragedy that was a favourite subject for discussion amongst many of the Peninsula veterans.