In The
Very Same Village, Four Years Before, More Than Fifty Goram Men
Were Murdered; And As These Savages Obtain
An immense booty in
the praus and all their appurtenances, it is to be feared that
such attacks will continue
To be made at intervals as long as
traders visit the same spots and attempt no retaliation.
Punishment could only be inflicted on these people by very
arbitrary measures, such as by obtaining possession of some of
the chiefs by stratagem, and rendering them responsible for the
capture of the murderers at the peril of their own heads. But
anything of this kind would be done contrary to the system
adopted by the Dutch Government in its dealings with natives.
GORAM TO WAHAI IN CERAM.
When my boat was at length launched and loaded, I got my men
together, and actually set sail the next day (May 27th), much to
the astonishment of the Goram people, to whom such punctuality
was a novelty. I had a crew of three men and a boy, besides my
two Amboyna lads; which was sufficient for sailing, though rather
too few if obliged to row much. The next day was very wet, with
squalls, calms, and contrary winds, and with some difficulty we
reached Kilwaru, the metropolis of the Bugis traders in the far
East. As I wanted to make some purchases, I stayed here two days,
and sent two of my boxes of specimens by a Macassar prau to be
forwarded to Ternate, thus relieving myself of a considerable
incumbrance. I bought knives, basins, and handkerchiefs for
barter, which with the choppers, cloth, and beads I had brought
with me, made a pretty good assortment. I also bought two tower
muskets to satisfy my crew, who insisted on the necessity of
being armed against attacks of pirates; and with spices and a few
articles of food for the voyage nearly my last doit was expended.
The little island of Kilwaru is a mere sandbank, just large
enough to contain a small village, and situated between the
islands of Ceram-laut, and Kissa - straits about a third of a mile
wide separating it from each of them. It is surrounded by coral
reefs, and offers good anchorage in both monsoons. Though not
more than fifty yards across, and not elevated more than three or
four feet above the highest tides, it has wells of excellent
drinking water - a singular phenomenon, which would seem to imply
deep-seated subterranean channels connecting it with other
islands. These advantages, with its situation in the centre of
the Papuan trading district, lead to its being so much frequented
by the Bugis traders. Here the Goram men bring the produce of
their little voyages, which they exchange for cloth, sago cakes,
and opium; and the inhabitants of all the surrounding islands
visit it with the game object. It is the rendezvous of the praus
trading to various parts of New Guinea, which here assort and dry
their cargoes, and refit for the voyage home.
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