ATTACKED BY AUSTRALIAN BLACKS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6838, 17 October 1883, Page 5

ATTACKED BY AUSTRALIAN BLACKS.

A T£legkam froin Adelaide, dated October sth, says :—Mr. A. M. Giles, telegraph stationmaster at Tennant's Creek, who accompanied the pslice troopers and Mr. Shirley to search for tho murderers of Martin, telegraphed to the PostmasterGeneral from the north, on Thursday, tho following report:—"At balf-past 3 o'clock on the afternoon of Monday, October 1, when about 21 miles east by north of Newcastle, and during a temporary halt, our party was suddenly attacked by a large body of armed natives, including the murderers, against whom warrants had been issued, and whose tracks our party had followed since September 22. The natives first threw a boomerang, which struck the tracker's horse. After this they immediately advanced rapidly towards our party, throwing their spears and yellin» fiercely. Our men mounted their horses quickly, aud as the blacks continued to approach, and woald not halt, our party was compelled to use their firearms in selfdefence. Several shots were fired, after which the natives retired into dense hedgewood scrub. They wore followed by our men as far as it was possible to penetrate the scrub, Tho natives throw spears into the air, so that these weapons fell amongst tho whites, but fortunately without inflicting any injury. The troopers were utterly unable to move through the scrub more than at a slow foot pace, and failing to find the blacks thay camped at dusk without having been able to effect any capture. Owing to the entire absence of water/ our party had to leavo this place and push on further. Reos and the black boy Garner saw and recognised all the offenders who are wanted amongst the horde of savages, except the black fellow Nambina, who, however, may have been present, but was not seen. Tne effect of our firing cannot be ascertained accurately, but it 1b believed that at least two of the offenders were severely wounded. There were fully 70 natives present in the attacking party. Their tracks bhow that they have gone p»st here, and;have left our express camp in a southerly direction,"