Explore "Moreton Bay" by F.W. Mole on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
Notwithstanding that Captain Lannigan was heartily disliked for his tyrannical and supercilious character, the settlement on the Brisbane made progress. The sway of the lash and the work at Brisbane Town went on apace. The windmill on the hill at the back of the settlement was completed, but all the ingenuity of the commandant and his incompetent staff could not make it work. The sails refused to move. The mechanism was somewhere at fault as the sails could not be kept constantly turned to the wind. Even the form and position of the vanes were at fault. The commandant ordered the clearing of a large space around the huge cylindrical tower in order that the trees would not obstruct the prevailing north-easterly winds, but the labour was expended in vain.
The sails refused to revolve. The commandant cursed and flogged, but the winds blew on a motionless windmill cap so that the sails were not presented in the direction of the wind.