38 NORTHMOST AUSTRALIA 



1 " On the 26th, good weather, the wind NNW., course SE. by E. along the land 

 in 5 fathoms. In the forenoon four canoes put out from the land and eventually, 

 on our waiting for them, boarded us. There were altogether 25 BLACKS, who had 

 nothing with them but their weapons. They called out and made signs that we 

 should come on shore. We threw them some small pieces of iron and coral, at which 

 they showed great satisfaction. Gold, silver, nutmegs and cloves, which were shown 

 to them, they paid little or no attention to, though they were willing to accept them 

 as presents. Their canoes are very skilfully made out of a single piece of wood, and 

 some are so large that they will carry 20 or more blacks. Their paddles are long, 

 and they used them standing or sitting. The men are black and tall and carry them- 

 selves well, with big and strong limbs and curled hair like the KafBrs, which some of 

 them bind on the neck with a knot, while others let it hang loose down to their waists. 

 They have little or no beard. Some of them have two, and others three, slits through 

 the nose, in which they carry tusks of boars, or the * teeth ' of swordfish. They are 

 stark naked and have their privates enclosed in a conch-shell (which is fastened to the 

 waist with a piece of twine). They have no rings of gold, silver, copper, tin or iron 

 on their bodies, but occasionally they have them of turtle-shell, from which it may 

 be inferred that their country yields no metals, nor any wood of value, being all low 

 and submersible land, as indeed we have found it to be. There were also among 

 them some not provided with paddles, but wearing two strings of human teeth round 

 their necks, and excelling the others in ugliness, carrying on the left arm a hammer, 

 with a handle of wood, with at one end a black conch-shell, the size of a fist, and at 

 the other, by which it is held, a three-sided bone not unlike a staghorn. For one 

 of these hammers they were offered a rug, coral (beads) and iron, which were refused, 

 though the savages were quite willing to barter one for one of the boys, to whom they 

 had taken a fancy. It seems likely that those who carry the aforesaid hammers belong 

 to the nobility or military. The people are cunning and suspicious and by no finesse a 

 could they be induced to come near enough to let us catch one or two with the 

 nooses which we had prepared for the purpose. They carried also in their canoes 

 some human thighbones, which they repeatedly held up to us, but what they meant 

 by this is unknown to us. At last they asked for a rope to tow the yacht to land, 

 but found it too hard work and quickly paddled back to the land. 



" In the evening anchored in 3 fathoms about 3 miles from land, and sailed this 

 day 13 miles [52 minutes]. 



" In the morning of the ijth the wind WNW., stiff breeze, course SE. by S. and 

 SE., 7 miles, and ESE. 5 miles, in 5^-, 5 and 3 fathoms. In the evening anchored in 

 5 fathoms 3^ miles from land. A quarter of a mile landward a shoal was seen, on 

 which the ' Aernem ' got stuck, but afterwards (God be praised !) got off again. 



" On 2%th * set sail again, the wind NW., course E., close to the land, in varying 

 depths, such as 7, 9, 12, 4 and 5^ fathoms. At midday the latitude was 9 6', 4 having 

 sailed 5 miles, and thence till evening we ran E. by S. 4 miles, in 18, 12, 9, 7, 5 and 

 2 fathoms, when we dropped anchor, and sent the boat out to sound. The water 

 having been found to deepen towards the land, the anchor was lifted and we sailed 

 closer in and anchored in 4 fathoms 3 miles from the shore." [This was probably 

 near Tarudarii Point, at the east end of Heath Bay. R. L. J.] 



" In the morning of the 29^, the wind NNW, mild weather. In the forenoon 

 it was deemed advisable to send off the boat of the ' Per a ' with 1 3 men and the 

 Steersman of the * Aernem ' (victualled for 4 days) to take soundings and follow the 

 land, extending to ENE., for 7 or 8 miles. [SEE MAP A.] 



" On the $otb t the wind N., good weather, so that we also sent the boat of the 



1 At the head of this paragraph the words " Clapper Cust " (Coco-nut Coast) occur 

 as a marginal note. R. L. J. 



2 A sly allusion to the terms of the sailing orders. R. L. J. 



8 This day the modern boundary line between Dutch and British New Guinea 

 waters was passed. R. L. J. 



* According to modern charts, the northmost navigable waters here (in Heath Bay) 

 are about 9 13' S. 



