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. At this time
another bark, or double canoe like the former, came up to them, having a
small loose single canoe in her, to put out upon occasion. She sailed so
fast that few Dutch ships could have outstripped her. She was steered
behind by two oars, one in each canoe, and when they have a mind to
tack they use oars forwards. Sending their boat to sound at one of these
islands, ground was found a cannon-shot from the shore, in twelve,
fourteen, and fifteen fathoms, but shelvy. The savages in the bark made
signs as if directing them to the other island, but they anchored at the
former in twenty-five fathoms on a sandy bottom, a cannon-shot from
shore.
This island, in lat. 16 deg. 10' S. is one entire mountain, looking like one
of the Molucca islands, and all covered with cocoa-nut trees, for which
reason they named it Cocoa island.[116] The other island is much lower
than this, but longer, and stretches east and west. While at anchor off
Cocoa island there came three ships,[117] and nine or ten canoes about
them, having three or four men in each. Some of these holding out white
flags in token of peace, the Dutch did so likewise. The canoes were flat
before and sharp behind, hewed each out of one piece of a red kind of
wood, and sailed very swiftly. On coming near the Unity, some of the
savages leapt into the sea and swam to the ship, having their hands full
of cocoa-nuts and ubes-roots,[118] which they bartered for nails and
beads, giving four or five cocoa-nuts for a nail or a small string of
beads, so that the Dutch that day procured 180 cocoa-nuts. This traffic
brought so many of the natives on board, that the Dutch could hardly
stir about the ship.
[Footnote 116: Cocas, or Boscawen island, is in 16 deg. 32' S. and long.
169 deg. 35' W. The other island mentioned in the text, Traitors, or Keppel
island, is a few leagues S.S.W. from Cocos. - E.]
[Footnote 117: These ships must have been large double canoes. - E.]
[Footnote 118: These ubes-roots were perhaps the same that are called
eddoes by modern navigators among the South Sea islands. - E.]
The boat was now sent to the other island to see for a more convenient
place in which to anchor; but she was presently beset by a vast number
of canoes filled with a mad sort of people, armed with clubs, who
boarded the boat and attacked the Dutchmen. On firing their muskets, the
savages laughed at them for making so much noise and doing so little
hurt; but, on the next discharge, one of them being shot through the
breast, they learnt to pay more respect to the muskets, and to keep
their due distance for the future. The savages were lusty,
well-proportioned men, and most expert swimmers, but naked and thievish,
and very fantastical in the fashion of their hair, some having it
short, others long, some curled, and others plaited or folded up in
various forms.
On the 12th the savages came again in their canoes, laden with cocoas,
bananas, ubes-roots, hogs, and fresh water, contending violently who
should get first on board. Those who were behind, being unable to get
over the throng of canoes and men before them, leapt into the sea, and
diving under the canoes, swam to the ship with bunches of cocoas in
their mouths, and climbed up the side like so many rats, and in such
swarms that the Dutch had to keep them off with cudgels. The Dutch
bartered with them that day for so many cocoas, as to produce twelve for
each of their men, being eighty-five in number. The natives wondered
much at the size and strength of the Dutch ship; and some of them even
dived under her bottom, knocking it with stones, as if to try how strong
it was. The king of these savages sent a black hog on board as a
present, charging the messenger to take no reward. Shortly after he came
in person, in a large ship of their fashion, attended by thirty-five
single canoes; and when at a small distance from the ship, he and all
his people began to bawl out as loud as they could, being their manner
of welcoming strangers. The Dutch received him with drums and trumpets,
which pleased him much; and he and his attendants shewed their sense of
this honourable reception by bowing and clapping their hands.
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