ARRU ISLANDS. 401 



to be a place from which any quantity of sea stock 

 can be procured, for although they had plenty of 

 pigs and fowls in the village, they did not seem at 

 all inclined to part with them. Water may be 

 procured on the beach, but a merchant vessel 

 should be very cautious in sending her boats for it, 

 as the crew being necessarily divided, would easily 

 fall victims to any treacherous attack on the part 

 of the natives ; and from all we subsequently learnt 

 of them from the traders we met at Arru, they are 

 not always to be trusted. 



After clearing the bay we stood to the northward, 

 along the east coast of Timor Laut, which is 

 formed by a range of hills wooded to the very 

 summit, and indented by deep bays which would 

 afford anchorage during the N. W. monsoon, w^rc 

 it not for a coral reef that appears to extend along 

 the coast, at a distance of two to three miles from 

 the shore. During the day we passed six villages, 

 all built like Oliliet on cliffs overhanging the sea, 

 and protected on the land side by dense jungle, 

 through which it would be difficult to penetrate. 



At sunset, we passed a small detached coral reef, 

 and then steered for the Arru Islands, in the hope 

 of hemcr able to grain some information from the 

 traders who frequent them, for the purpose of pro- 

 curing the birds of Paradise, trepang, pearls, &c. 

 which are found in their vicinity. 



During our passage across, we had very irregular 



