FIRST VOYAGE 105 



A man whose mother was a native of the island of Java, 

 and whose father was a Dutchman, was engaged in the 

 service of Mr. Banks during his residence at Batavia. The 

 man told his master that several Dutchmen, and many 

 Javanese, as well as himself, had seen such a crocodile as 

 was described by the girl who told the preceding story, 

 and that, like hers, its feet were adorned with gold. On 

 Mr. Banks remarking the absurdity of these tales, and 

 saying that crocodiles had not ears, he replied, that the 

 Sudaras differed considerably from other crocodiles ; that 

 they had ears, though he acknowledged they were small, 

 that their tongues filled their mouths, and that on each 

 foot they had five toes. 



The Chinese inhabitants of Batavia are, like those of their 

 own country, some of the most industrious people on the 

 face of the earth. They act as embroiderers, dyers of cotton, 

 tailors, carpenters, joiners, smiths, and makers of slippers ; 

 some of them are shopkeepers, and deal largely in the manu- 

 factures of Europe and China. Their knavery is proverbial. 



The lawyers of Batavia are partial in their administration 

 of justice to a very reprehensible degree. When an Indian 

 has committed any crime deemed worthy of death, he is 

 impaled, hanged, or broken on the wheel, without ceremony. 

 On the contrary, if a Christian is capitally convicted, execu- 

 tion very seldom follows the sentence ; and what is more 

 extraordinary, no pains are taken to apprehend the offender, 

 till time enough has been allowed him to run away, if he 

 thinks proper. 



We shall now proceed to a recital of the incidents which 

 occurred during their passage from Batavia to the Cape of 

 Good Hope. 



Early in the morning of the 27th of December, 1770, the 

 Endeavour left the road of Batavia, and after several delays 

 occasioned by the wind being contrary, she stood over for 

 the shore of Java, on the 1st of January, 1771. As many of 

 the ship's crew, who had been very ill while at Batavia, had 

 become much worse, the vessel was brought to an anchor 

 on the afternoon of the 5th near Princes Island, with a 

 view to get some necessary refreshments, and likewise to 

 take in wood and water. 



Messrs. Solander and Banks now went ashore with the 

 Captain, and they were no sooner landed than some of the 

 natives conducted them to the king of the island, with whom 

 they endeavoured to make a bargain for some turtle, but the 

 price could not be agreed on. As our adventurers had no 

 doubt but that they should purchase on their own terms 

 the following day, they left the Indians, and proceeded in 

 search of a proper place to fill water, which was found. 



