The Next Island W. Or Rather S.W. From Water-Land, And
Nearly At The Distance In The Text, Is Now Called Palliser's
Island.
- E.]
Continuing their course westwards from the 19th of April to the 9th of
May, when they were in lat. 15 deg. 20' S. and estimated their distance from
Peru 1510 leagues to the west, they perceived a bark coming towards
them, on which they fired a gun or two to make them strike. But those
who were in her, either not understanding the language of cannon, or
unwilling to obey, made off as fast as they could; on which the Dutch
sent their boat with ten musqueteers to intercept them. Some of the
savages in the bark leapt overboard, and the rest surrendered without
resistance, on which the Dutch used them kindly, dressing those that
were wounded, and saving the lives of some who had leapt into the sea.
Besides the men, there were eight women and several children, being in
all twenty-three, remaining in the bark. They were a cleanly neat kind
of people, of a reddish colour, and entirely naked except the parts of
shame. The men wore their long black curled hair, but that of the women
was cut short.
The bark was of a singular figure and construction, consisting of two
canoes fastened together, in the midst of each of which were two planks
of red wood to keep out the water, and several others went across from
one canoe to the other, being made fast and close above, and projected
over a good way on each side. At the end of one of the canoes, on the
starboard side, there stood a mast, having a fork at its upper end,
where the yard lay; the sail being of mats, and the ropes of that kind
of stuff of which fig-frails are made in Spain. Their only furniture
consisted of a few fishing-hooks, the upper part of which was of stone,
and the other of bone, tortoise-shell, or mother-of-pearl. They had no
water on board, instead of which they satisfied themselves with the
liquor of a few cocoa-nuts; in default of which they drank sea-water,
which even the children did heartily. The Dutch sent them all again on
board their vessel, where the women welcomed their husbands with joyful
embraces, after which they made away to the south-east.[115]
[Footnote 115: This double canoe seems to have belonged to the Society
islands, and was perhaps bound towards Otaheite, by the course which it
followed on getting rid of the Dutch. - E.]
The 10th of May, Schouten continued his course W.S.W. and that day saw
some very high land to larboard, S.E. by S. about eight leagues off. The
11th they came to a very high island, and about two leagues south from
this to one much lower; and the same day sailed over a bank where they
had fourteen fathoms on a stoney bottom, about two leagues from the
land, and being past this bank could find no bottom.
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