Book Title: Indian Antiquary Vol 58
Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications
________________
48
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[ DECEMBER, 1929
searched the jungles about Island Bay, some 10 miles north and north-east respectively of the outlying villages of Templeganj and Anikhet. This was a task of much difficulty. and in the course of the search, in three parties under Messrs. Vaux, Rogers and Bonig, Mr. Vaux came in the evening upon a hunting camp of the Jarawas. Judging from its position and distance from the chief home of the tribe at Pôchang, he inferred that the party's real object was a raid on the Settlement villages. He successfully rushed the camp by moonlight and discovered, among other things, a large new Forest Department adze, which had been taken from a convict wounded in the Jarava attack on Jatang in November 1901. This confirmed him in his suspicions as to the reason of the hunting party's presence so close to the Settlement. None of Mr. Vaux's party was hurt in this attack, the Jarawas being too startled to shoot.
In their flight the Jåra was left in the camp a baby and a small girl. This circumstance, and also the advice of the Andamanese as to further proceedings, determined Mr. Vaux to proceed to Port Anson, to the Andamanese Home there, where the children could be taken care of. Adopting generally the advice of the Andananese, Mr. Vaux then proceeded again to Pôchang and followed the main Jàrawa track southwards steadily, which proved, beyond Pôchàng, to be an exceedingly difficult affair. The party proceeded about 15 miles march beyond Pôch Ang in a south-east direction to Wibtång, a point about 6 n:iles west of Port Meadows and some 18 miles from Jatang : thus showing that the chief Jårawa haunt is the junglo between the mouth of Shoal Bay and Port Anson. At Wibtâng an oc. cupied hunting camp was found to block the way further and Mr. Vaux judged it necessary to rush this camp at night as ho had the previous one. For this purpose he selected one Police Constable and 16 Andamanese ; and there were besides these himself, Mr. Rogers and Mr. Bunig and three servants : altogether 23 men.
The camp was rushed about 10 P.M. on the night of the 24th February after the moon had risen. Mr. Vaux went in first, followed by Messrs. Rogers and Bonig, the Andamanese coming up imediately behind. There was no real resistance, but as Mr. Vaux was stooping down in a hut grappling with two Jàrawas, his foot disturbed the smouldering embers of a fire, which blazed up, exposing him to the view of a man in another hut, who shot two arrows st him, and decamped. These were the only two arrows shot in the affair, but one of them, a barbed iron-headed arrow, entered Mr. Vaux on the left side between the ninth and tenth ribs with great force, killing him almost immediately. Next inorning, as soon as it was pos. sible to sce, Mr. Rogers carried back the body with many difficulties through the jungles to Pôchang and Port Anson, reaching that harbour in the evening, whence the body was conveyed in the steam lauuch Belle through Middle Strait to Port Blair arriving about midnight on the 25th February. Two women and six children were found in the camp after the attack, who accompanied Mr. Rogers' party to Port Anson and onwards quite cheerfully, and it has been ascertained that the children found in the first camp rushed are closely related to one of these women. European iron iinplements were found in this camp also. These facts prove that the men in both oainps were of the parties which actually attacked tho Forest Department convicts at Jatang in November. A number of implements of offence were found in both camps and have boon removed. In fact these partioulur bodies of marauders havo beon deprived of means of offence for somo time to come.
Mr. Rogers deserves the greatest credit for his rapid inarch back through the jungles, during which one of his party was slightly wounded by a couple of Jarawas, who however devamped on being fired on. So also does Mr. Bonig for his skilful nianagement of the steam launch Belle through so narrow a passage as Middle Strait at night. The conduct of the Police on the return march was exemplary.
