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No Sign of Hostiles by John Buxton
John Buxton portrays the tenuous coexistence between
the original inhabitants of this new nation and the encroaching
Europeans. “Although loyalties and friendship did exist between
some, there were always those allied to other interests – waiting
to do harm,” says Buxton. “No one was exempt from sudden
harassment or deadly force, and groups took advantage of hit and
run tactics – striking with surprise. An ambush of the unsuspecting
often resulted in quick plunder, hostages taken and a bloody aftermath.
If enough men could be gathered before their trail cooled, the raiders
would be tracked. Some of these pursuits terminated in another ambush,
while occasionally the tracking became too difficult and the trail
was lost, as shown in this painting.”
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