The two previous posts (83 and 84) gave an account of the early life of James Davis, of his voyage to Australia on a convict ship, his arrival in Port Jackson and his later transfer to Morton Bay Penal Settlement, from where he managed to escape on 30 March 1829.
In this post we’ll try to follow James, as he moves further inland, into country which, at that time, had not yet been explored by the British. Captain Cook had visited Botany Bay in 1770, and the First Fleet had arrived in Port Jackson in 1788, but the territory where James was to spend the next 13 years of his life was located a thousand or so kilometres further north, in what is now the State of Queensland.
I found this segment of the story more challenging to write, because neither James, nor the people whom he met on his travels, left any records of their experiences. The most relevant piece of information I was able to find was an article in the Brisbane newspaper “Truth”, published on 30 July 1905. It contained the recollections of a person (who used the pseudonym, “Wargandilla”) who claimed that he had met our James in 1870 and had spoken with him. James would have been 63 years old at the time. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find out who this “Wargandilla” (which means “Golden Bower Bird”) was. Perhaps he was another escaped prisoner? Some later stories about this period are based, at least in part, on the “Wargandilla” notes, but also introduce new and different versions of James’ experiences.
In the absence of any reliable records, I guess we will never know exactly what happened and how James, himself, managed to survive for those thirteen years. As I’m intrigued about it all, I have tried to visualize the Moreton Bay environment in the late 19th century, in the hope of being able to come up with some possible scenarios.
First, let’s try to focus on how James and his companion, John Downie, were able to escape. Both men were young, and both were desperate to get away from the horrors around them. James, having been employed as a blacksmith, would have had access to tools, which he and John might perhaps have used to help them to break out of the settlement. Also, the number of soldiers available to guard them, as well as the many other prisoners, was relatively small. Somehow, in these circumstances, an opportunity to escape could have materialised. James and John could have taken it and could have run for their lives, disappearing into the wilderness surrounding the camp. According to some reports, one third of all the prisoners who had been sent to this penal settlement had tried to escape, but very few had been successful. Fortunately, James and John did succeed.
James and John would then have wanted to get as far away as they possibly could, in the shortest possible time, feeling very much afraid of being captured by the soldiers searching for them. They would have been desperate to avoid the terrible punishment that would await them, if they had been caught. Also, the dense bushland close to the settlement would have been difficult for them to push their way through in some places, however, they had to do it to make sure that they were not seen. They would, nevertheless, have had to cross open spaces at times, wading through creeks, climbing rocks and, of course, always being wary of spiders and snakes.
It would have been a frightening and exhausting ordeal for them, and James and John would not have been able to begin to relax until they had travelled a long distance from the settlement. It would certainly have been a struggle, but they were strong and determined and, despite all these difficulties, they did finally manage to reach an area near the lagoons, in what is now the Sandgate township. “As the crow flies”, Sandgate is 20km north of where the prison was located, but it would have taken them several days, or even weeks, to get there safely.
Fortunately for them, the weather in that part of Australia would have been kind at that time of the year. The hottest part of the summer would have passed, and it would probably have been sunny and pleasant during the day and mild during the nights. They were also lucky to have found themselves in one of the most beautiful and bountiful regions of Australia, being close to the coast, with rivers, creeks and lagoons, and with the presence of abundant wildlife and fresh water.
We don’t know how they would have met the Turrbal clan (see post 45 – The Lost Tribe) but, bearing in mind that this was well before British settlers had moved into this area, and also that there had never before been any clashes with white men there, the clan would have accepted their presence. At the point in time that this contact would have occurred it was not unusual for tribes to welcome strangers as guests. The fact that James and John were both small in stature, may have provided further reassurance for the clan that they did not present any threat to their families.
It is possible (and I am just speculating here) that their first point of contact had been with just one family, perhaps through a child, who had discovered them resting somewhere. Realising that they appeared to be lost and harmless, they were then allowed to meet the rest of the family group, and were later introduced to the larger clan, which formed part of the tribe living in that part of the country.
James would have been very relieved and happy to have met people who did not appear to be hostile and who were willing to communicate with him. He could not speak their language, and he did not, of course, have any knowledge of their beliefs, customs or taboos, but he seems to have managed to navigate these initial complexities without offending his hosts. As we will see later, John, his companion, was not so fortunate.
The first meeting with the elders of the larger clan would have been very important. It seems that the outcome of these meetings was, in James’ case, positive. We don’t know how he happened to be accepted as a guest by them for so long, but he is believed to have stayed with the Turrbal clan for 12 months, before he ventured out to meet other tribes further north.
James’ companion, John Downie, was unfortunately not so lucky. I’m not sure when the following occurred, but he, unknowingly, broke tribal law. According to Wargandilla, he took “from the hollow of a tree a bag, containing Aboriginal bones, which he emptied so as to use the bag for carrying yugarie.” Yugarie is a Bundjalung word for pipis, which are small edible clams. The relatives of the deceased person would have realised immediately that no one in the tribe would have ever discarded the bones of their ancestors. This was an unpardonable breach of the tribe’s unwritten laws, which inevitably resulted in them killing John by spearing him.
Most of the clans which James had come across after fleeing the penal settlement had belonged to the same language group, the Kabi Kabi, who lived mainly in the coastal areas. Their neighbours, the Jinibara people, lived in the hinterland. The Jinibara referred to the Kabi Kabi as “the saltwater people”. I have previously (see post 79 – “A Day Trip to Montville”) described them as “Gubbi Gubbi”, instead of “Kabi Kabi”, “Gubbi Gubbi” being a more correct spelling and pronunciation for this language group. The Kabi Kabi lived in clans and had a complex social structure.
The Jinibara and Kabi Kabi people lived in country stretching from Moreton Bay to country north of Noosa and beyond, as well as to the west, taking in the Glass House Mountains, Mary River valley and the ranges further inland. James would have travelled widely there in what is now known as South-East Queensland, and he would have done so on foot, using existing paths and trails. As there were many creeks, rivers, lakes and islands in this region, it is likely that he would have used rafts and tribal canoes in coastal areas and inland rivers. I am truly amazed by the vast distances he must have covered.
The tribal clans on Bribie Island are thought to have been responsible for giving James the name “Duramboi”, which was their word for “little”, as the Bribie islanders, themselves, were relatively tall, and James was a small man. However, this may or may not be correct, as other very different explanations for “Duramboi” also exist.
According to Wargandilla, James was allowed to move freely from one tribe to another. By studying some detailed maps, I was able to locate Mount Bauple, where James was believed to have had one of his camps “under the shadow of Mount Bopple (the name of the sleeping lizard) on the Mary River”. The people there, according to one of several different versions of this story, were Jinibara and not Kabi Kabi.
One of the elders in this camp apparently believed that James was his reincarnated, dead son. He adopted James and allotted him a piece of land “about eight miles (13 km) off the Mary River”. Wargandilla reported this as follows:
“Thence Davis was passed on along the coast until he reached the Mary River, and there a man named “Pambie-Pambie” recognised him as a long dead son……..So James Davis, the Glasgow blacksmith’s son, and escaped convict, became “Thurimby,” the resurrected son of Pambie Pambie, of the tribe of Jinjnburra—a truly memorable transformation!”
James probably travelled with the Mary River people to take part in the Bunya Nut festivals, which occurred in the mountains around Montville and which I mentioned in post 79. He may also have joined them in their fights and corroborees, fished with them and climbed trees for possums and birds’ nests with them, and he would also have seen youths initiated in tribal ceremonies.
In some of the stories which I’ve read it was mentioned that James had “completely adopted the habits of his newfound culture. He dressed in little clothing and could navigate the bush as easily as his colleagues”. Wargandilla claims that James took part in traditional scarification, that his chest was tattoed with horizontal scars, and that he also had scars of old wounds on his back and his legs.
Perhaps the strongest evidence of James’ acceptance by the Aboriginal community and his successful integration into his new family, is that he lived for a period with a woman, named “Caleeraba”, and that they had a son together, known as “Calarga” (the sparrow hawk). James is believed to have told Wargandilla this in 1870. Sadly, I have not been able to learn more about this part of James’ life, nor about what became of his partner or of his son. Did James ever see them again, after he left them?
I wonder how James, later in his life, would have looked back upon this period when he had lived with the Kabi Kabi and with his Jinibara family. He was 22 when he escaped from the Moreton Bay Penal Settlement and thereafter, for thirteen long years, he lost contact with everyone and everything he had previously known. I would not be surprised if he had very mixed feelings. I think that initially he would have felt a sense of freedom, having been saved from the dreadful conditions in the penal settlement. He had been able to move freely among people who had welcomed him and had adopted him as a son. His life, prior to this, had been very difficult, particularly in the years when he was labelled a “convict”, with no rights and no future, other than transportation and imprisonment.
James was 35 years old when news filtered through to his Aboriginal community that a large number of people, belonging to a tribe near Kilcoy, 200km further south, had been poisoned by white people. This would have unsettled him. He would also have heard, from tribes in the Wide Bay area, that white people were entering their territory. So, perhaps it did not come to him as a total surprise when, in 1842, he was found by Andrew Petrie.
The story of the arrival of Andrew Petrie and his travelling party will be revealed in the next episode.
O.P.
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