The King Gave Them A Present After His Fashion, Which They Requited With An Old Hatchet, Some Rusty Nails And Glass Beads, And A Piece Of Linen, With All Which He Seemed Much Pleased.

This king was not distinguished from his subjects by any external mark of dignity, but merely by the reverence they shewed him, as he was equally naked with all the rest; but he could not be prevailed on to come on board the Unity.

At noon on the 13th, the Dutch ship was surrounded by twenty-three large double canoes, or ships of their fashion, and forty-five single canoes, in all of which there could not be less than seven or eight hundred men. At first they pretended to come for the purpose of trade, making signs of friendship, and endeavouring to prevail upon the Dutch to remove their ship to the other island, where they would be better accommodated. Yet, in spite of all these fair pretences, the Dutch suspected that some mischief was intended by the savages, who now began to environ the ship all around, and then, with a great outcry, made a sudden attack. The king's ship was the foremost in the action, and rushed with such violence against the Unity, that the heads of the two canoes composing it were both dashed to pieces. The rest came on as well as they could, throwing repeated showers of great stones on board; but the Dutch, having been on their guard, so galled them with musquetry, and with three great guns loaded with musket-balls and nails, that all the savages were fain to quit their canoes, and seek for safety in the water. Being thus put to the rout, they dispersed as quickly as possible. 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.

[Footnote 119: Hope Island is in lat. 16 deg. 32' S. and in 177 deg. 25' W. longitude. - E.]

The 18th May, being in lat. 16 deg. 5' S. and the west wind becoming very unsteady, they began to consult as to the farther prosecution of their voyage. Schouten represented that they were now at least 1600 leagues westward from the coast of Peru, without having made the expected discovery of a southern land, of which there was now no great probability of success, having already sailed much farther west than they at first intended. He said also, if they persisted in following their present course, they would assuredly come to the southern side of New Guinea; and if they were unable to find a passage through that country, to the west or north, they would inevitably be lost, since it would be impossible for them to get back again, by reason of the east winds which continually reign in these seas. For these reasons, and others which he urged, he proposed, that they should now alter their course to the northwards, so as to fall in with the north side of New Guinea.[120] This proposal was embraced by all the company, and it was immediately determined to change the course to N.N.W. Accordingly, holding their course in that new direction, they saw two islands at noon of the 19th, about eight leagues from them, N.E. by E. and seeming to be a cannon-shot distant from each other.[121] Upon this they steered N.E. with fair weather and a scanty wind, meaning to approach this island, but could only get within a league of it on the 21st, when they were visited by two canoes, the people in which began immediately to threaten them with loud cries, and at the same time seemed preparing to dart their assagays or spears: but, on a discharge from the ship, they made off in haste, leaving two of their companions behind them who were slain, and a shirt they had stolen from the ship. Next day other natives came to the ship on friendly and peaceable terms, bringing cocoa-nuts, ubes-roots, and roasted hogs, which they bartered for knives, beads, and nails.

[Footnote 120: It is almost needless to mention, that if Schouten had continued his course in the former parallel of between 15 deg. and 16 deg. S. he must have fallen in with the group of islands now called the New Hebrides, and afterward with the northern part of New South Wales.

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