DAMPIER 315 



and Cochin China where " women sit in the streets 

 selling dishes of tea hot and ready-made " to Formosa, to 

 the Bashee islands, and Dampier makes us well acquainted 

 -with all those seas. Then they determined to go to Cape 

 Comorin. The direct way was the Strait of Malacca ; 

 but they feared islands and shoals, and, they feared still 

 more English and Dutch ships. So they decided to " go 

 round on the East side of all the Philippine islands, 

 and so, keeping South towards the Spice islands, to pass Voyage to 

 out into the East Indian Ocean about the island of Timor." Timor - 

 This was " a very tedious way," and there would be shoals 

 in plenty but there would be no English or Dutch ships 

 " which were their greatest fear." "I," writes Dampier, 

 " was well satisfied enough, knowing that, the further 

 we went, the more knowledge and experience I should get, 

 which was the main thing I regarded, and should also have 

 the more variety of places to attempt an escape from them, 

 being fully resolved to take the first opportunity of giving 

 them the slip." 



They sailed through the dangerous tangle of Spice 

 Islands, and came to Timor. " Being now clear of all 

 the islands, we stood off South, intending to touch at 

 New Holland, a part of Terra Australis Incognita, to see New 

 what the country would afford us." On the 4th of January, I l2 11 j nd ' t 

 1688, they saw land in Latitude 16 50', and came to " a iath March, 

 point of land," about three leagues to the Eastward of l688 - 

 which was " a pretty deep bay with abundance of islands 

 in it, and a very good place to anchor in, or hale ashore." 

 In 1821 Captain King, after making a careful survey 

 of the coast, decided that the " point of land " was Cape 

 Leveque, the Cape at the West side of the opening of 

 King's Sound. King called the pretty deep bay " Cygnet Cygnet Bay. 

 Bay," and the abundance of islands " Buccaneer's 

 Archipelago." 



Dampier had seen many lands and many peoples, 

 but never had he seen land or people so unpleasing as 

 Australia and Australians. The land was "a dry "Dry and 

 and dusty soil," that was " destitute of water except 1 

 you make wells," and that was entirely destitute of food. 



