CHAPTER VII 

 THE VOYAGE OF THE " PERA " AND " AERNEM " (1623), continued 



IV. THE RETURN VOYAGE OF THE " PERA 



COASTING NORTHWARD FROM STATIN INLET. " AERNEM " LAGS BEHIND AND DIS- 

 APPEARS. Two LANDINGS AND UNSUCCESSFUL SEARCH FOR WATER. " PERA " 

 CONTINUES NORTHWARD VOYAGE. NASSAU INLET NAMED. MISIDENTIFICATION 

 BY SUBSEQUENT OBSERVERS. FURTHER SEARCH FOR WATER. SUCCESSFUL AT LAST 

 (IST MAY) IN THE MITCHELL RIVER DELTA. THE WATERING-PLACE RECORDED. 

 CARSTENSZOON'S POOR OPINION OF THE LAND AND PEOPLE. THE VEREENICHDE 

 INLET (THE PRINCIPAL MOUTH OF LEICHHARDT'S MITCHELL RIVER) NAMED. 

 LANDING AT CAPE KEERWEER (STH MAY). WARLIKE NATIVES. LANDING (yTH 

 MAY). FORMIDABLE OPPOSITION BY NATIVES. ANCHOR SOUTH OF PERA HEAD 

 IN LATITUDE 13 7' S. LANDING NEXT MORNING (STH MAY). TRACK NATIVE 

 FOOTPRINTS NORTHWARD TO THE COEN INLET. COLLECT ESCULENT HERBS AND 

 CARRY THEM TO BOAT. NATIVES APPEAR. A NATIVE CAPTURED BY A RuSE. 

 ANOTHER KILLED. FLINDERS' MISIDENTIFICATION OF CARSTENSZOON'S COEN 

 RIVER. FALSE PERA HEAD = RIJDER'S HOEK. LANDING AT PERA HEAD (<^TH 

 MAY). ANOTHER WATERING-PLACE. ACROSS ALBATROSS BAY. ROUND DUYFKEN 

 POINT. LANDING SOUTH OF PORT MUSGRAVE (IOTH MAY). SAND-DUNES. 

 FOOTPRINTS. NATIVES REFUSE TO PARLEY. PORT MUSGRAVE (ESTUARY OF BATAVIA 

 RiVER) NOT OBSERVED. INLET (SKARDON RlVER, DE FACTO) NAMED CARPENTIER 

 INLET AND IDENTIFIED AS THAT WHERE ONE OF THE " DUYFKEN'S " CREW WAS 

 KILLED. LANDING AT THIS INLET. ENCOUNTER WITH NATIVES. VAN SPULT 

 INLET, WHERE SHIPS CAN DIP FRESH WATER (ONE OF THE MOUTHS OF THE " JARDINE" 

 RIVER) RECORDED AS A WATERING-PLACE. WOODY, WALLIS AND PRINCE OF WALES 

 ISLANDS. SANDBANKS AND SHOALS FINALLY CLEARED (22ND MAY). SAIL FOR 

 AMBOINA. 



N the 26th [April, 1623], as in this place there was no water (whereof there 

 was great need), as we could hold no parley with the savages, and as 

 nothing of importance could be done, set sail again, the wind ENE., 

 stiff breeze, course N. along the land. [SEE MAP M.] At midday 

 latitude 16 44'. In the evening anchored in 4 fathoms close under 

 the land. [SEE MAP H.] 



" NOTE. That the yacht ' Acrncm? because of its poor sailing qualities and the 

 small liking and inclination for the voyage which the skipper and steersman had shown, 

 had on various occasions and at different times seriously delayed the voyage, for the 

 * Per a ' (which was leaking badly and had to get more than 8,000 strokes of the pump 

 every 24 hours) was nevertheless obliged to seek and follow her every day for I, 2 

 or more miles to leeward. 



" On the 2jtb, the wind E. by S., good weather, the skipper of the ' Pera ' rowed 

 ashore, with both boats, duly provided for defence, to look for fresh water, and sunk 

 several holes, in which none was found ; whereupon we set sail, course SE. by E., 1 



1 An obvious mistake, as (i) a SE. by E. course would have run the ship ashore, 

 (2) the coast here runs NNE. to SSW., and (3) the " Pera " made thirty-eight or forty 

 minutes of northing between morning and noon. R. L. J. 



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