0 Deg.
29' S. Still Seeing Much Land To The South, Some Of Which Were Very High
And Some Low, Which They Passed, Continuing Their Course To The North Of
West.
The 29th they felt the shock of an earthquake, which shook the
ship to that degree that the men ran terrified out of their births,
believing the ship had run a-ground, or had bilged against some rock.
On
heaving the lead they found the sea unfathomable, and their ship clear
from all danger of rocks or shoals. The 30th they put into a great bay,
out of which they could find no opening to the west, and resumed
therefore a northern course. Here the ship trembled again with loud
claps of thunder, and was almost set on fire by the lightning, had it
not been prevented by prodigious rain.
[Footnote 130: The centre of Schouten Island is in lat. 0 deg. 30' S. and
long. 223 deg. W. It is nearly 24 leagues long from E. to W. and about eight
leagues from N. to S. In some maps this island is named Mysory,
probably the native appellation, and it lies off the mouth of a great
bay, having within it another island of considerable size, called
Jobie, or Traitor's Island. - E.]
The 31st, continuing a northern course, they passed to the north of the
equator, and being encompassed almost all round by land, they anchored
in twelve fathoms on good ground, near a desolate island which lay close
by the main land. The 1st of August they were in lat. 0 deg. 15' N. The 2d
and 3d being calm, they were carried by the current W. and W. by N. This
day at noon their latitude was 0 deg. 35' N. when they saw several whales
and sea-tortoises, with two islands to the westwards. They now reckoned
themselves at the western extremity of the land of New Guinea, along
which they had sailed 280 leagues. Several canoes came off to them in
the morning of the 5th, bringing Indian beans, rice, tobacco, and two
beautiful birds of paradise, all white and yellow. These Indians spoke
the language of Ternate, and some of them could speak a little Spanish
and Malayan, in which last language Clawson the merchant was well
skilled. All the people in these canoes were finely clothed from the
waist downwards, some with loose silken robes, and others with breeches,
and several had silken turbans on their head, being Mahometans. All of
them had jet black hair, and wore many gold and silver rings on their
fingers. They bartered their provisions with the Dutch for beads and
other toys, but seemed more desirous of having linen. They appeared so
fearful and suspicious of the Dutch, that they would not tell the name
of their country, which however was suspected to be one of the three
eastern points of Gilolo, and that the people were natives of Tidore,
which was afterwards found to be the case.
In the morning of the 6th they set sail, holding a northern, course,
intending to go round the north point of Gilolo. The 7th they saw the
north point of Morty, or Moraty, N.E. of Gilolo. Contending with
variable winds and adverse currents it was the 19th before they could
get into the bay of Soppy in Gilolo, where they anchored in ten
fathoms on sandy ground, about a cannon-shot from shore. Here they
procured poultry, tortoises, sago, and rice, which was a great relief
for the company, still consisting of eighty-five men in health and
vigour. Leaving Soppy on the 25th August they came to the desert island
of Moro on the 1st September, and, on closer examination, found it
composed of several islands close together. They saw here a worm, or
serpent, as thick as a man's leg and of great length. On the 5th they
anchored off the coast of Gilolo. At this place some of the seamen went
ashore unarmed to catch fish, when four Ternatese soldiers rushed
suddenly out of the wood sword-in-hand while the Dutchmen were drawing
their net, intending to have slain them; but the surgeon called out to
them Oran Hollanda, that is, Holland men, on which the soldiers
instantly stopped, throwing water on their heads in token of peace, and
approaching in a friendly manner, said they had mistaken the Dutchmen
for Spaniards. At the request of the seamen they went on board, where,
being well treated, they promised to bring provisions and refreshment to
the ship, which they afterwards did.
Sailing thence on the 14th they got sight of Ternate and Tidore on the
16th, and anchored on the 17th in the evening before Malaya in Ternate,
in eleven fathoms sandy ground. Here captain Schouten and Jaques Le
Maire went ashore, and were kindly entertained by the general Laurence
Real, admiral Stephen Verhagen, and Jasper Janson, governor of Amboina.
On the 18th they sold two of their pinnaces, with most of what had been
saved out of the unfortunate Horn, receiving for the same 1350 reals,
with part of which they purchased two lasts of rice, a ton of vinegar, a
ton of Spanish wine, and three tons of biscuit. On the 27th they sailed
for Bantam, and on the 28th of October anchored at Jacatra, now Batavia.
John Peterson Koen, president for the Dutch East India Company at
Bantam, arrived there on the 31st of October, and next day sequestered
the Unity and her cargo, as forfeited to the India company for illegally
sailing within the boundaries of their charter.
* * * * *
In consequence of the seizure of the Unity, captain Schouten and Jaques
Le Maire, with others of their people, embarked at Bantam in the
Amsterdam and Zealand on the 14th December, 1616, on which they set sail
for Holland. On the 31st of that month Jaques Le Maire died, chiefly of
grief and vexation on account of the disastrous end of an enterprise
which had been so successful till the arrest of the ship and cargo.
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