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It's December 1831 in the Swan River colony in Western Australia.

A British servant named Thomas Smedley works in the fields of his employer's farm.

As he swings his sigh through heads of golden wheat,

he hears some commotion from the nearby chicken coop.

Smedley looks in that direction and sees a group of Aboriginal men have broken into the enclosure,

where they're now helping themselves to the poultry.

Smedley also sees several more indigenous people

raiding the potato crops in the neighboring field.

He narrows his eyes and strides to the field's edge where his flintlock musket is resting against the trunk of a eucalyptus tree.

Smedley picks up the weapon and cocks back the hammer.

Slowly Smedley approaches the aboriginal men, his musket, raised.

And once he's within earshot, he yells at them to get off the property.

The men look up, but if they're alarmed by the sight of the musket, they don't show it.

And they don't obey Smedley's demand either.

They simply turn their backs and continue collecting chickens and potatoes.

Smedley shifts uncomfortably, unsure how to proceed.

He expected the Aboriginals to just run.

He tries again, calling out, I'm warning you, but again they ignore him.

...