140 ■ The V O Y 
Veffe'Ps Side, and then King another Song, This was 
begun by the grave old Man, and followed by all the reft 
in the Boat ; which done, they put themfelves in aPofture 
of praying, and made feveral Bows and Cringes towards 
us, after the Manner of their Country ; then one ol the 
Men in the Boat, having a very fore Leg, held it up to 
us, and pointed to the Wound. By the Signs he made 
to us, we underftood, that he would have us to cure it ; 
for we being white, and they having probably never leen 
any white Men before, they feemed as if they did not 
think us to be mortal Men. After this, we poured fome 
Water out of a Bucket into a Glafs, and, pointing to our 
Mouths, made Signs that we wanted Victuals and Drink : 
Then they fhook their Heads, in way of Denial, as I fup- 
pofe ; but, feeing us ftill make towards the Hand, one of 
the Men in the Boat blew an Horn •, at the Sound of which, 
all the reft of the Boats made boldly to us : Upon this, 
we all believing they would be aboard of us, fired a 
Mufquet over them, not defigning to harm, but only to 
frighten them ; at the Noife of which they feemed won- 
derfully amazed, and drew back, menacing us at a Diftance 
with their Paddles, and ftill following us. So feeing, as 
I faid before, many Hundreds of them upon the Shore, 
and finding we could have nothing from them but by 
Force, and having no Anchors or Cables by which we dared 
truft our Bark, and, befides, having no Boat to go afhore 
in, fo that fhould we fwim afhore, as feme of our Men 
propofed, yet we could not carry our Arms with us, and 
the Indians might knock us in the Head with Stones 
whilft we were in the Water, we concluded there was 
no good to be done here : Wherefore, examining our 
Water, and finding fufficient for eighteen Days, at a Quart 
of Water each Man per Day, we refolved to leave thefe 
Hands, and to truft to God’s Providence to guide us to a 
more friendly Place, where we might fupply our Wants, 
not doubting but we fhould furnifh ourfelves with Water 
at fome Bland or other, in a Place where there were fo 
many : So we left the faid Blands, and called the Wefter- 
moft of them the Bland of Difappointment , becaufe we 
made certain, Accouftt of getting fome Water here, but 
could not. They were all three low, flat, even Blands, 
full of feveral Sorts of Trees, all very green and flourifhing; 
and, no doubt, if we had had a Boat, we might have met 
with fomething which would have been beneficial to our- 
felves, and of Advantage to our Country, as we might 
alfo at feveral other fmall Blands, which we afterwards 
paffed by. The Inhabitants of moft of thefe Blands were a 
very large ftrong-boned People. They had long, black, 
fixait Hair, which reached down to their Middle; and 
they all go ftark-- naked, not fo much as covering their 
privy Parts. I think I never faw fuch a Parcel of ftout- 
iimbed Fellows together in my Life. It is certain, there- 
fore, that the Blands hereabouts are abundantly peopled, 
though they are utterly averfe to any Communication with 
Whites, perhaps from a Notion, that all Whites are 
Spaniards ; and yet it is not altogether clear, that even 
the Spaniards ever attempted making a Settlement in any 
of thefe Blands. 
'27. When we left thefe Blands, we had a frefh Gale of 
Wind at Eaft ; and, fleering South- weft, we met conti- 
nually with Weeds and Grafs in the Water ; which inclined 
us to believe, that we were not far from Land ; and yet, 
on founding, we had no Ground at an' hundred Fathom, 
On the eighth of May, early in the Morning, we difeerned 
the Coaft of New Guiney ; from which we were then 
diftant eighteen or nineteen Leagues. The Sight of Land 
engaged us to think of building a Boat with a few old 
Boards, and fuch other Materials as we had, though they 
did not feem altogether fit for the Purpofe ; which Boat, 
when completed, though it was not the ftrongeft or moft 
beautiful thing in the World* yet proved exceeding ufeful 
and convenient. On the 9th, we had very bad Weather, 
the Wind fhifdng all round the Compafs. We had time 
enough to confider this Part of New Guiney with much 
Attention ; the Land appeared very mountainous, black* 
and rocky. Without Harbour, Bay, or Road, where we 
might anchor fafely. The Mountains were fo bleak and 
barren, the Valleys fo narrow and deep, that we* at firft 
Sight* conceived the Country uninhabited ; nor did our 
AGES of Book I. 
future Acquaintance engage us to change our Opinion, 
fince we faw no Inhabitants, or Signs of Inhabitants. The 
fame Day we paffed by two fmall Bland's, each of which 
might be a League in Length ; they were low, but very 
wefl clothed with fmall green Trees. We faw, at the fame 
time, Part of the great Ifland of Gillolo , at eight Leagues 
Diftance, and kept on our Courfe Weft South-weft, in- 
tending to pafs through that Ifland, and the Continent of 
New Guiney , into the Eaft India Sea. We had very bad 
Weather till the eleventh, and, the Night being very dark, 
we miffed the common Paffage, and found ourfelves in the 
Morning among many fmall Blands ; when, perceiving we 
had overfhot the Paffage, and the Wind being at Eaft, we 
refolved to look out for a Paffage to the Southward* 
amongft thofe Blands : Accordingly we flood to the South- 
ward, but found a great many Rocks and S holes, which 
ftretched from one Ifland to another : At Night, there 
being little Wind, and not daring to venture ' further 
amongft thofe unfrequented Blands and Sholes, we refolved' 
to lie-by, intending, in the Morning, if the Winds 
fhould prove Wefterly, to return back, and go through the 
common Paffage ; but, if it ftill continued Eafterly, than 
to endeavour to find out a new Paffage to the Weftward. 
This Night we faw two or three Fires, which were made 
on fliore by the Inhabitants. The Blands here were moft 
of them of a good Height, and pretty well cloathed with 
feveral Sorts of Trees, which all appeared very green and 
flourifhing. On the 12th, we had fair Weather, with a 
fine frefh Gale at North-eaft: So we proceeded to the Weft- 
ward, and, at the fame time, had aftrong Tide fetting to 
the Weftward. About eight this Morning, we fhot be- 
tween two high Head-lands, which were diftant from each 
other near two Miles. Upon this, fome of us went to the 
Top-maft-head, to look if we had a clear Paffage through.*, 
and we faw no Hindrance : So we got through by two in 
the Afternoon. It was in Length about feven Leagues, 
and about two Miles broad. In it we could find no An- 
chorage, till within a Ship’s Length of the Shore, and 
then we had thirty Fathom Water. The Lard here was 
of an indifferent Height, and very woody. At Noon, 
the Tide fetting back to the Eaftward, and it being calm, 
we drove, by five in the Evening, half way back again, 
and drove with our Veffei fo near the Shore, that we kept 
her off with our Poles ; and might have ftepped from our 
Barks to the Shore, and yet our Veffei never touched the 
Ground, the Water being very deep clofe to the Shore. 
Not long after, a ftrong Gale fpringing up again by feven 
in the Evening, we got clear of this Streight the fecond 
time ; and then it fell calm again, and we drove with the 
Tide, which ftill fet to the Weftward. In this Streight we 
faw a flying Proe under Sail, but it did not come near us. 
We alfo, 111 fome of the fmall Bays, faw feveral old 
Houfes, fome Handing, and fome half down, but could 
not fee any Inhabitants. On the 13th, we had little Wind 
at Eaft South-eaft, and fometimes calm ; 1 but, when we 
had any Wind, we fleered away South by Weft. Here we 
faw a great many Blands to the Southward of us, but none 
of them fo near together, but that there was room to pafs 
between them, and fcarce any Ground to be found with 
one hundred Fathom of Line. We ftill found we got 
but very little, the Tides fetting fometimes to the South- 
ward, and then again to the Northward ; fo that we were 
not got yet above a League to the Southward of the faid 
Streight, which we, after the Name of our Bark, called 
St. John's Streights ; and, I believe, we were the firft 
Europeans that ever paft it. 
28. At this time a large Indian Proe came on board us, 
in which was a Freeman of Amboyna. We acquainted him 
with our great Want of Victuals, having had nothing for 
a long time to eat but Flour and Water, and fo little of 
that, as would hardly keep us alive. He told us, if we 
would go to the Ifland of Manipa , which was then in Sight, 
he would be our Pilot, and carry us in, where he did not 
doubt but we might have Rice enough for our Money to 
carry us to Batavia. Accordingly we fleered direftly for 
Manipa , and, in our Way, paffed by the Ifland Key lan , 
which is a fmall, but high Bland* very well inhabited, and 
cloathed with feveral Sorts of Trees. Its chief Produce is 
Rice, and fome few Cloves ; and here was .a Dutch Cor- 
