early australian voyages-第21部分

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of　savages。　These　New　Hollanders　were　probably　the　same　sort　of　people　as　those　I　met　with　on　this　coast　in　my　voyage　round　the　world；　for　the　place　I　then　touched　at　was　not　above　forty　or　fifty　leagues　to　the　north…　east　of　this；　and　these　were　much　the　same　blinking　creatures　（here　being　also　abundance　of　the　same　kind　of　flesh…flies　teazing　them；）　and　with　the　same　black　skins；　and　hair　frizzled；　tall　and　thin；　&c。　as　those　were：　　but　we　had　not　the　opportunity　to　see　whether　these；　as　the　former；　wanted　two　of　their　fore…teeth。

We　saw　a　great　many　places　where　they　had　made　fires；　and　where　there　were　commonly　three　or　four　boughs　stuck　up　to　windward　of　them；　for　the　wind；　（which　is　the　sea…breeze）；　in　the　day…time　blows　always　one　way　with　them；　and　the　land…breeze　is　but　small。　　By　their　fire…places　we　should　always　find　great　heaps　of　fish…shells　of　several　sorts；　and　it　is　probable　that　these　poor　creatures　here　lived　chiefly　on　the　shell…fish；　as　those　I　before　described　did　on　small　fish；　which　they　caught　in　wires　or　holes　in　the　sand　at　low　water。　　These　gathered　their　shell…fish　on　the　rocks　at　low　water　but　had　no　wires　（that　we　saw）；　whereby　to　get　any　other　sorts　of　fish；　as　among　the　former　I　saw　not　any　heaps　of　shells　as　here；　though　I　know　they　also　gathered　some　shell…fish。　　The　lances　also　of　those　were　such　as　these　had；　however；　they　being　upon　an　island；　with　their　women　and　children；　and　all　in　our　power；　they　did　not　there　use　them　against　us；　as　here　on　the　continent；　where　we　saw　none　but　some　of　the　men　under　head；　who　come　out　purposely　to　observe　us。　　We　saw　no　houses　at　either　place；　and　I　believe　they　have　none；　since　the　former　people　on　the　island　had　none；　though　they　had　all　their　families　with　them。

Upon　returning　to　my　men　I　saw　that　though　they　had　dug　eight　or　nine　feet　deep；　yet　found　no　water。　　So　I　returned　aboard　that　evening；　and　the　next　day；　being　September　1st；　I　sent　my　boatswain　ashore　to　dig　deeper；　and　sent　the　seine　within　him　to　catch　fish。　While　I　stayed　aboard　I　observed　the　flowing　of　the　tide；　which　runs　very　swift　here；　so　that　our　nun…buoy　would　not　bear　above　the　water　to　be　seen。　　It　flows　here　（as　on　that　part　of　New　Holland　I　described　formerly）　about　five　fathom；　and　here　the　flood　runs　south…east　by　south　till　the　last　quarter；　then　it　sets　right　in　towards　the　shore　（which　lies　here　south…south…west　and　north　north…　east）　and　the　ebb　runs　north…west　by　north。　　When　the　tides　slackened　we　fished　with　hook　and　line；　as　we　had　already　done　in　several　places　on　this　coast；　on　which　in　this　voyage　hitherto　we　had　found　but　little　tides；　but　by　the　height；　and　strength；　and　course　of　them　hereabouts；　it　should　seem　that　if　there　be　such　a　passage　or　strait　going　through　eastward　to　the　great　South　Sea；　as　I　said　one　might　suspect；　one　would　expect　to　find　the　mouth　of　it　somewhere　between　this　place　and　Rosemary　Island；　which　was　the　part　of　New　Holland　I　came　last　from。

Next　morning　my　men　came　aboard　and　brought　a　runlet　of　brackish　water　which　they　had　got　out　of　another　well　that　they　dug　in　a　place　a　mile　off；　and　about　half　as　far　from　the　shore；　but　this　water　was　not　fit　to　drink。　　However；　we　all　concluded　that　it　would　serve　to　boil　our　oatmeal；　for　burgoo；　whereby　we　might　save　the　remains　of　our　other　water　for　drinking；　till　we　should　get　more：　and　accordingly　the　next　day　we　brought　aboard　four　hogsheads　of　it：　but　while　we　were　at　work　about　the　well　we　were　sadly　pestered　with　the　flies；　which　were　more　troublesome　to　us　than　the　sun；　though　it　shone　clear　and　strong　upon　us　all　the　while　very　hot。　　All　this　while　we　saw　no　more　of　the　natives；　but　saw　some　of　the　smoke　of　some　of　their　fires　at　two　or　three　miles　distance。

The　land　hereabouts　was　much　like　the　port　of　New　Holland　that　I　formerly　described；　it　is　low；　but　seemingly　barricaded　with　a　long　chain　of　sand…hills　to　the　sea；　that　lets　nothing　be　seen　of　what　is　farther　within　land。　　At　high　water　the　tides　rising　so　high　as　they　do；　the　coast　shows　very　low：　　but　when　it　is　low　water　it　seems　to　be　of　an　indifferent　height。　　At　low　water…mark　the　shore　is　all　rocky；　so　that　then　there　is　no　landing　with　a　boat；　but　at　high　water　a　boat　may　come　in　over　those　rocks　to　the　sandy　bay；　which　runs　all　along　on　this　coast。　　The　land　by　the　sea　for　about　five　or　six　hundred　yards　is　a　dry　sandy　soil；　bearing　only　shrubs　and　bushes　of　divers　sorts。　　Some　of　these　had　them　at　this　time　of　the　year；　yellow　flowers　or　blossoms；　some　blue；　and　some　white；　most　of　them　of　a　very　fragrant　smell。　　Some　had　fruit　like　peascods；　in　each　of　which　there　were　just　ten　small　peas；　I　opened　many　of　them；　and　found　no　more　nor　less。　　There　are　also　here　some　of　that　sort　of　bean　which　I　saw　at　Rosemary　Island：　　and　another　sort　of　small　red　hard　pulse；　growing　in　cods　also；　with　little　black　eyes　like　beans。　　I　know　not　their　names；　but　have　seen　them　used　often　in　the　East　Indies　for　weighing　gold；　and　they　make　the　same　use　of　them　at　Guinea；　as　I　have　heard；　where　the　women　also　make　bracelets　with　them　to　wear　about　their　arms。　　These　grow　on　bushes；　but　here　are　also　a　fruit　like　beans　growing　on　a　creeping　sort　of　shrub…like　vine。　　There　was　great　plenty　of　all　these　sorts　of　cod…fruit　growing　on　the　sand…hills　by　the　sea　side；　some　of　them　green；　some　ripe；　and　some　fallen　on　the　ground：　　but　I　could　not　perceive　that　any　of　them　had　been　gathered　by　the　natives；　and　might　not　probably　be　wholesome　food。

The　land　farther　in；　that　is；　lower　than　what　borders　on　the　sea；　was　so　much　as　we　saw　of　it；　very　plain　and　even；　partly　savannahs　and　partly　woodland。　　The　savannahs　bear　a　sort　of　thin　coarse　grass。　　The　mould　is　also　a　coarser　sand　than　that　by　the　sea…side；　and　in　some　places　it　is　clay。　　Here　are　a　great　many　rocks　in　the　large　savannah　we　were　in；　which　are　five　or　six　feet　high；　and　round　at　top　like　a　hay…cock；　very　remarkable；　some　red　and　some　white。　　The　woodland　lies　farther　in　still；　where　there　were　divers　sorts　of　small　trees；　scarce　any　three　feet　in　circumference；　their　bodies　twelve　or　fourteen　feet　high；　with　a　head　of　small　knibs　or　boughs。　　By　the　sides　of　the　creeks；　especially　nigh　the　sea；　there　grow　a　few　small　black　mangrove…trees。

There　are　but　few　land　animals。　　I　saw　some　lizards；　and　my　men　saw　two　or　three　beasts　like　hungry　wolves；　lean　like　so　many　skeletons；　being　nothing　but　skin　and　bones；　it　is　probable　that　it　was　the　foot　of　one　of　those　beasts　that　I　mentioned　as　seen　by　us　in　New　Holland。　　We　saw　a　raccoon　or　two；　and　one　small　speckled　snake。

The　land　fowls　that　we　saw　here　were　crows；　just　such　as　ours　in　England；　small　hawks　and　kites；　a　few　of　each　sort：　　but　here　are　plenty　of　small　turtle　doves；　that　are　plump；　fat；　and　very　good　meat。　　Here　are　two　or　three　sorts　of　smaller　birds；　some　as　big　as　larks；　some　less；　but　not　many　of　either　sort。　　The　sea…fowl　are　pelicans；　boobies；　noddies；　curlews；　seapies；　&c。；　and　but　few　of　these　neither。

The　sea　is　plentifully　stocked　with　the　largest　whales　that　I　ever　saw；　but　not　to　compare　with　the　vast　ones　of　the　Northern　Seas。　　We　saw　also　a　great　many　green　turtle；　but　caught　none；　here　being　no　place　to　set　a　turtle　net　in；　there　being　no　channel　for　them；　and　the　tides　running　so　strong。　　We　saw　some　sharks　and　parracoots；　and　with　hooks　and　lines　we　caught　some　rock…fish　and　old…wives。　　Of　shell…fish；　here　were　oysters　both　of　the　common　kind　for　eating；　and　of　the　pearl　kind；　and　also　whelks；　conchs；　muscles；　limpits；　periwinkles；　&c。；　and　I　gathered　a　few　strange　shells；　chiefly　a　sort　not　large；　and　thickset　all　about　with　rays　or　spikes　growing　in　rows。

And　thus　having　ranged　about　a　considerable　time　upon　this　coast；　without　finding　any　good　fresh　water　or　any　convenient　place　to　clean　the　ship；　as　I　had　hoped　for；　and　it　being　moreover　the　height　of　the　dry　season；　and　my　men　growing　scorbutic　for　want　of　refreshments；　so　that　I　had　little　encouragement　to　search　further；　I　resolved　to　leave　this　coast；　and　accordingly　in　the　beginning　of　September　set　sail　towards　Timor。

On　the　12th　of　December；　1699；　we　sailed　from　Babao；　coasting　along　the　island　Timor　to　the　eastward；　towards　New　Guinea。　　It　was　the　20th　before　we　got　as　far　as　Laphao；　which　is　but　forty　leagues。　　We　saw　black　clouds　in　the　north…west；　and　expected　the　wind　from　that　quarter　above　a　month　sooner。

That　afternoon　we　saw　the　opening　between　the　islands　Omba　and　Fetter；　but　feared　to　pass　through　in　the　night。　　At　two　o'clock　in　the　morning　it　fell　calm；　and　continued　so　till　noon；　in　which　time　we　drove　with　the　current　back　again　south…west　six　or　seven　leagues。

On　the　22nd；　steering　to　the　eastward　to　get　through　between　Omba　and　Fetter；　we　met　a　very　strong　tide　against　us；　so　that　although　we　had　a　very　fresh　gale；　we　yet　made　way　very　slowly；　but　before　night　got　through。　　By　a　good　observation　we　found　that　the　south…　east　point　of　Omba　lies　in　latitude　8　degrees　25　minutes。　　In　my　drafts　it　is　laid　down　in　8　degrees　10　minutes。　　My　true　course　from　Babao；　is　east　25　degrees　north；　distance　one　hundred　eighty…three　miles。　　We　sounded　several　times　when　near　Omba；　but　had　no　ground。　On　the　north…east　point