These Treacherous Savages Were Inhabitants Of The Lower, Or
More Southerly, Of The Two Islands, Which Therefore The Dutch Named
Traitor's Island.
Schouten sailed from Cocoa Island that same day, holding a course to the
W. and W. by S. and came on the 14th to another island, about thirty
leagues from Cocoa Island, to which he gave the name of Hope
Island,[119] because expecting there to meet with refreshments.
Finding
no ground for anchorage, the boat was sent to sound along shore, and
found a stony bottom about a musket-shot from the shore, in some places
having forty, and in others twenty and thirty fathoms, and then no
bottom at all next throw of the lead. Some ten or twelve canoes came off
to the ship, bartering a small quantity of flying fishes for beads, the
articles being reciprocally exchanged by means of a rope let down from
the stern of the ship. From this peddling traffic the Indians soon after
withdrew, and endeavoured to board and carry away the boat which was
employed in sounding; but met with such a reception from guns, pikes,
and cutlasses, that after two of them were slain, they were glad to
hurry away as fast as they could. This island was mostly composed of
black cliffs, which were green on the top, and seemed well stocked with
cocoa-trees. There were several houses seen along the sea side; and in
one place was a large village close beside a strand, or landing-place.
As there was no convenient anchorage at this place, the ground being
extremely rough, Schouten proceeded on his voyage to the S.W. meaning to
pursue the originally intended discovery of a southern continent.
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