This land was discovered afterwards to be separate from
New Guinea, and is now named New Ireland, having another large island
interposed, called New Britain.
- E.]
At night, they anchored in a bay in 40 fathoms on uneven ground. About
this place the country was high and verdant, and afforded a pleasant
prospect, being, as they guessed, 1840 leagues west from the coast of
Peru. In the morning of the 26th, three canoes came to the ship, quite
full of these barbarians, being well armed after their manner, with
clubs, wooden swords, and slings. The Dutch treated them kindly, giving
them several toys to procure their favour; but they were not to be won
by kindness, neither could they be taught good manners except by the
language of the great guns: For they presently assaulted the ship with
all their force, and continued till ten or twelve of them were slain by
cannon-shot. They then threw themselves into the water, endeavouring to
escape by swimming and diving; but they were pursued in the water by the
boat, when several were knocked in the head, and three prisoners taken,
besides four of their canoes, which were cut up as fuel for the use of
the ship. Though these savages would not formerly understand any signs,
they were now more apt, and understood that hogs and bananas were
demanded in ransom for the prisoners. One wounded man was set at
liberty, but the Dutch exacted ten hogs for the others. This island
afforded a sort of birds that are all over bright red. North of it lay
another island, of which they made no other discovery, except its
position in regard to this. The Dutch concluded that these people were
of the Papuas nation, because of their short hair, and because they
chewed betel mixed with chalk.
In the evening of the 28th, they sailed from hence, and next day held a
course to the N.W. and N.W. by N. with a shifting wind till noon, and
then a calm. They had the point of the island in view till evening,
though they sailed along the coast, which was full of bays and turnings,
and trended N.W. and N.W. by W. This day they saw other three high
islands, which lay northwards five or six miles from the greater one,
being then in the latitude of 3 deg. 20' S. The 30th in the morning, several
canoes of these black Papuas came off to the ship, and being allowed to
come aboard, broke certain staves over the Dutch, in sign of peace.
Their canoes were more artificially made and ornamented than the others,
and the people seemed more civilized and more modest, as they had the
pudenda covered, which the others had not. Their hair was rubbed over
with chalk, their black frizly locks appearing as if powdered. They
affected to be poor, and came to beg, not bringing any thing to the
ship, yet the four islands whence they came appeared, to be well stored
with cocoas.
On the 1st June, the Dutch came to anchor between the coast of New
Guinea and an island two miles long. They were soon after surrounded by
twenty-five canoes, full of the same people who had broken staves the
day before in token of peace, and who came now fully armed in guise of
war. They were not long of entering on the work they came about. Two of
them laid hold of two anchors which hung from the bows of the ship, and
endeavoured with their girdles to tug the ship on shore. The rest lay
close to the ship's sides, and gave a brisk onset with slings and other
weapons; but the great guns soon forced them to retire, with twelve or
thirteen killed, and many more wounded. After this, the Dutch sailed
peaceably along the coast, with a good gale of wind, continuing their
course W.N.W. and N.W. by W. The 2d they were in lat. 3 deg. 12' S. and saw
a low land to larboard, and right before them a low island. Continuing
W.N.W. with a slight current at E.N.E. they sailed gently along. The 3d
they saw high land, bearing W. about 14 leagues from the other island,
and in lat. 2 deg. 41' S. The 4th, while passing these four island, they
suddenly came in view of twenty-three other islands, some great, some
small, some high, and others low, most of which they left to starboard,
and only two or three to larboard. Some of these were a league distant
from the others, and some only a cannon-shot. Their latitude was in 2 deg.
30' S. a little more or less.
On the 6th in the morning, the weather being variable and even sometimes
stormy, they had in the morning a very high hill before them, bearing
S.W. which they thought to have been Geeminassi in Banda; but, on a
nearer approach, they discovered three other hills more like it in the
north, some six or seven leagues distant, which they were convinced were
that hill of Banda.[128] Behind these hills lay a large tract of land,
stretching east and west, of very great extent, and very uneven. In the
morning of the 7th, they sailed towards these mighty hills, some of
which they found were volcanoes, for which reason they named this
Vulcan's Island. It was well inhabited and fall of cocoa-nut trees,
but had no convenient place for anchorage. The inhabitants were naked,
and extremely fearful of the Dutch, and their language so different from
that of all the neighbouring people, that none of the blacks could
understand them. More islands appeared to the N. and N.W. but they
proceeded to a very low island, bearing N.W. by W. which they reached in
the evening. The water here was observed to be of several colours,
green, white, and yellow, perhaps occasioned by the mixture of some
river, as it was far sweeter than ordinary sea water, and was full of
leaves and boughs of trees, on some of which were birds, and even some
crabs.
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