400 VOYAGE IN SEARCH 



eaft; it lies in the latitude of 8 13' 2" foUth,- 

 and longitude of 123 3*' 17" eaft. 



A very cloudy Iky did not allow us, till to- 

 wards four o'clock in the afternoon, to dilcover 

 the northern eoaft of Timor *, from which how- 

 ever we were only at the diftance of a myriame- 

 tcr : fome very lofty mountains reared their 

 heads above the clouds. We perceived during 

 the night fires lighted on them at different 

 heights. No doubt, at this elevation, the inhabit- 

 ants experience the neceility of protecting them- 

 fclves againit the cold of the night, and perhaps 

 too they employ this method to keep away wild 

 beafts. Thcfc fires were to us fo many liglit- 

 Iioufcs, which ferved to direel our courfe along 

 the eoaft, when a few puffs of wind came and 

 interrupted the calm that reigned during a good 

 pait of the night. 



At (tv4 a o'clock in the morning on the 23d, we 

 v a demi-myriameter from a fettlement which 

 the Portuguefe have on the weft eoaft of Timor ; 

 t. I it Laphao. Its pofition is in latitude 



9 22' 45'Touth, and longitude 122 23' 36'' eaft. 



The Portuguefe colours, which had juft been 

 hoi :e, bore fouth 30' eaft. The fort fa- 



luted ua with live guns. A canoe with a double 



e 



* For a modern account of this hofpitablc iftand we refer 

 the rer.der to Bligh's Foyagc to the S:nth Sea t chap, xviii. T. 



outrigger 



