Chapter 5: Bon Voyage!
Almost 2 years had passed since the mutineers had settled at Arthur's Cove. The lands around Deer Creek had proven to be rich and fertile, and as the farms continued to grow in size and grazing paddocks expanded, the tree line was pushed further and further back into the wilderness. Some of the settlers started to move further inland to be closer to the new farmland, and a small village was established around the spring which fed the creek. Springtown, which only had a population of 15, became a base for expanding farming in the region, and a well-trodden path along the northern bank of the creek linked the town to the village of Billings, and on towards Port Arthur.
As the date for the second annual meeting of New Southland was approaching, the future of the new French settlement of La Perouse was by far the biggest talking point amongst the settlers. Despite their initial enthusiasm, it had become apparent over the past few months that the French sailors had little to no experience in farming and the crops that they had been working had failed miserably. The Frenchmen relied heavily on supplies provided by the Deer Creek farmers, and without providing much in return, tensions had been growing between the two groups. Recent scuffles had broken out, resulting in several Frenchmen and farmers being injured - something had to be done.
As a result, urgent discussions were being held between Arthur and La Perouse regarding the French settlement's future. Arthur was well aware that La Perouse, along with many of his crew, had been expressing their will to return to their families back in France. Although they would be eternally grateful to Arthur and his men for rescuing them and providing them with whatever they had needed in order to survive, La Perouse could no longer ignore the growing calls amongst his men to return home. Their ship, which had been slowly repaired over the past few months at the new Port Arthur docks was once again seaworthy, and a final decision was made by La Perouse that he would lead a return journey back to France with any member of his crew who wished to join him. Most agreed to join, however a small group of sailors, who had been traumatised by their ordeal following the shipwrecking, had no desire to head out to sea again and opted to remain in their new home of New Southland.
However, for Arthur, solving one problem had created a much larger problem. There would be no doubt upon the return of La Perouse that the British would discover the true fate of the "Charlotte" and the location of New Southland. Despite their best efforts to defend themselves, he knew a handful of cannons and simple stone fortifications would be no match for the might of the British navy. He once again turned to William, his cunning deputy commander, to devise a plan to save New Southland, the freedom they had risked their lives for, and for which they would do anything to maintain.
The night before La Perouse was set to depart, Arthur and William sat down with him on the deck of his ship. The stars were out and the sky was clear. Arthur gazed up "You never see skies like this back home do you?" As the three men stared at the stars, Arthur commented "You know, there are times I do miss home, but I have grown to love my new home here in New Southland. I wouldn't trade it for the world." "It truly is spectacular, especially on a night like tonight" commented La Perouse. William posed a question - "I've never been to France, in fact i've never travelled far from London - tell me about it." As La Perouse reminisced about the grand cities, beautiful gardens and palaces, rolling countryside and of course the mouth-watering delicacies, William interrupted "...and what if it was all to be taken away - just like that" clicking his fingers. "What do you mean?" asked La Perouse. Arthur handed him a letter - "Please, consider this on your return. This is all we ask for." As La Perouse read through the letter, he looked up at Arthur and William and nodded "We owe you our lives - this is the least we could do, but I've got one more surprise." La Perouse pulled out an old rusted key from his pocket and lifted up some of the deck planks concealing a secret compartment beneath. As he lifted up a heavy wooden chest, he smiled "Here, this is for you." Arthur unlocked the chest and inside was a huge bounty of silver coins. "Spanish silver dollars. We made thousands trading furs in Macau, but what use is all this to a dead man? Without your help we would not have survived. You deserve this more than we do."
The next morning the French ship set sail on a one-way trip back to France. The small party of Frenchmen who had elected to stay in New Southland saluted their fellow sailors from the beach, before making the trek up to Port Arthur to join the rest of the New Southlanders at the second annual meeting.
As with the previous meeting, voting on governmental positions was held first, this time including the four community group leaders. All existing members were re-elected, apart from Joseph Billings, who was replaced by Edward Richardson. The farming community were disappointed by the inaction of Joseph over the problems faced with the Frenchmen. Edward proposed a tougher stance towards not only the Frenchmen, but also to anyone who did not actively support the community. The farmers work was essential to the survival of the settlement, and should not be taken for granted. Edward went as far as proposing to maintain separate storehouses in each of the farming villages, so that the farmers could have more control over their produce and its distribution. The current system of bartering in New Southland heavily favoured the farmers, as everybody needed food for survival. The farmers effectively controlled the bartering system, often colluding with each other to drive up the trade rates for their produce to exploit the services of others. They had much nicer homes than the rest of the settlers, controlled huge expanses of land, and held the strongest voice in the government. Acknowledging this growing disproportionate spread of wealth and power, and potential threat to the stability of New Southland, Arthur knew something had to be done. It was clear that the system of bartering had reached its limits. Fortunately for Arthur, whether it was coincidence or just plain luck, in a locked chest resting at his feet lay the solution.
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