James Davis (also known as Duramboi;[a] baptised 2 August 1807 – 7 May 1889) was a Scottish-born convict notable for escaping custody in Australia and living with Aboriginal people for thirteen years.

Davis subsequently rejoined Western society and worked as a blacksmith, shopkeeper and Aboriginal interpreter.

[12] According to writer Wargandilla, Davis himself later gave two conflicting stories of his conviction: "One was [for] appropriating half a crown from a church plate, and the other was for a crime of which he was quite innocent".

[5] According to the Australian Dictionary of Biography, Davis was convicted for stealing 2 shillings 6 pence (half a crown) from a church box.

[12] The eleven convicts belonging to Glasgow, before leaving the prison, were each presented with a pocket Bible, a collection of Tracts, and a catechism, neatly stitched.

[12][13] In 1828 Davis was tried for robbery at Patrick's Plains and was sentenced to three years' imprisonment at the Moreton Bay penal settlement (now Brisbane, Queensland).

[8][14][5] Indeed, Logan's punishments were so extreme that certain convicts at the settlement committed murder with the intention of getting themselves hanged; preferring death to further lashing.

[17] On 30 March 1829, Davis escaped northward with a companion,[8][15][4] possibly convict John Downie.

[2] Apparently neither of the men had suffered punishment; it has been suggested that either the fear of being murdered or possible future lashings is what led them to abscond.

[8][4][16] Not long after, Davis's companion broke tribal law by desecrating an Aboriginal grave—removing the deceased's remains from a dilly bag in a tree in order to carry oysters—and was killed.

In response, Davis gave Pamby-Pamby "such a merciless drubbing with his fists that he not only subdued his murderous intentions but induced him to forgive the death of his pet dog".

For each tribe, Davis would assume the identity of a recently deceased tribesman, but over time these lies became increasingly difficult to maintain.

They had recently located another convict escapee named David Bracewell (known as Wandi) in Noosa, who had spent seven years among the Aboriginal people.

[4][22][16][5] Petrie had heard from Aboriginal people on Fraser Island that another white man was living in the bush.

Bracewell, enraged, began singing a war song, causing Davis to rush off towards Petrie's party.

According to Wargandilla, "blacks in hundreds followed along the bank of the river, walked out on projecting trees and rocks and called their farewells to Davis, who ... told them the awful sorrow he felt at leaving them, the joyous days he had spent in their company, his undying love for his father and mother, and all the other superb exaggerations made necessary in the diplomacy of that critical occasion".

He could not pronounce English for some time, and when he did attempt it, all he could say was a few words, and those were often misapplied, breaking off abruptly in the middle of a sentence with the black gibberish, which he spoke very fluently.

Both [Davis and Bracewell] can give much information to the Government, and as they have been the means of saving the lives of Mr. Petrie and party, I doubt not but they will receive their free pardons.

[20] Not long after he returned to the Western world, Davis gave a recollection of his life to historian John Dunmore Lang.

[8][4] According to Fred Campbell of Moreton Bay, Davis often manipulated the words of his Aboriginal clients for his own benefit.

[8][4] By 1889, Davis was confined to his bed at his house in Burnett Lane as he was suffering from heart and lung disease.

[1] According to testimony from neighbour Potter Badson and his colleague Henry Ogelthie, on 30 April they saw Bridget, intoxicated, bumping Davis's head on the floor multiple times.

[6][27] Badson testified that prior to Davis's death, Bridget had been "continually upbraiding [her husband] with not having given her more money".

[25] According to Davis's obituary in the Brisbane Courier, ″his career included some of the strangest experiences that have ever fallen, perhaps, to any man in this colony, and are on a par with those of the once famous ′Crusoe′ of Victoria″.

[8] Though he was baptised in the Church of Scotland,[11] Davis was a Catholic and in his will he gave a substantial bequest to St Stephen's Cathedral.