BOATS OF THE ABORIGINES. 101 



Dampier (1686), Woodes Rogers (1710), Anson (1742), and Crozet 

 (1772). Dampier' s description is as follows:" 



The natives are very ingenious beyond any people in making boats, or "proes," 

 as they are called in the East-Indies, and therein they take great delight. These 

 are built sharp at both ends. The bottom is of one piece, made like the bottom of a 

 little canoa, very neatly dug and left of a good substance. This bottom part is 

 instead of a keel. It is about 26 or 28 foot long. The under part of this keel is made 

 round, but inclining to a wedge and smooth, and the upper part is almost flat, hav- 

 ing a very gentle hollow, and is about a foot broad. From hence both sides of the 

 boat are carried up to about 5 foot high with narrow plank, not above 4 or 5 inches 

 broad, and each end of the boat turns up round very prettily. But what is very 

 singular, one side of the boat is made perpendicular, like a wall, while the other side 

 is rounding, made as other vessels are, with a pretty full belly. Just in the middle 

 it is about 4 or 5 foot broad aloft, or more, according to the length of the boat. 

 The mast stands exactly in the middle, with a long yard that peeps up and down 

 like a mizzen-yard. One end of it reacheth down to the end or head of the boat, 

 where it is placed in a notch that is made there purposely to receive it and keep it 

 fast. The other end hangs over the stern. To this yard the sail is fastened. At the 

 foot of the sail there is another small yard to keep the sail out square and to roll up 

 the sail on when it blows hard,* for it serves instead of a reef to take up the sail to 

 what degree they please, according to the strength of the wind. Along the belly 

 side of the boat, parallel with it, at about 6 or 7 foot distant, lies another small boat, 

 or canoa, being a log of very light wood, almost as long as the great boat, but not so 

 wide, being not above a foot and an half wide at the upper part and very sharp like 

 a wedge at each end. And there are two bamboes of about 8 or 10 foot long and as 

 big as ones leg placed over the great boat's side, one near each end of it, and reach- 

 ing about 6 or 7 foot from the side of the boat, by the help of which the little boat is 

 made firm and contiguous to the other. These are generally called by the Dutch 

 and by the English from them "outlayers." 6 The use of them is to keep the great 

 boat upright from oversetting * *. * and the vessel having a head at each end, 

 so as to sail with either oh them foremost (indifferently) they need not tack, or go 

 about, as all our vessels do, but each end of the boat serves either for head or stern 

 as they please. When they ply to the windward and are minded to go about he 

 that steers bears away a little from the wind, by which means the stern comes to the 

 wind, which is now become the head only by shifting the end of the yard. This 

 boat is steered with a broad paddle instead of a rudder. 



I have been the more particular in describing these boats, because I do believe they 

 sail the best of any boats in the world. I did here for my own satisnaction try the 

 swiftness of one of them. Sailing by our log, we had 12 knots on our reel, and she 

 run it all out before the half-minute glass was half out; which, if it had been no 

 more, is after the rate of 12 mile an hour; but I do believe she would have run 24 

 mile an hour. It was very pleasant to see the little boat running along so swift by 

 the other's side. 



The native Indians are no less dextrous in managing than in building these boats. 

 By report they will go hence to another of the Ladrone Islands about 30 leagues off 

 and there do their business and return again in less than 1 2 hours. I was told that 

 one of these boats was sent express to Manila, which is about 400 leagues, and per- 

 formed the voyage in 4 days time. There are of these proes, or boats, used in many 

 places of the East-Indies, but with a belly [curve] and a little boat [outrigger] on 

 each side. Only at Mindanao I saw one like these, with the belly and little boat 

 only on one side and the other flat, but not so neatly built. 



«New voyage, pp. 298 to 300, 1717. & Or "outriggers." 



