274 The V O Y 
tude of between 4® and 7 0 South ; fo that, in point of Si- 
tuation and Appearance, there could not any Country pro- 
mife more, than this did. The Dutch , therefore, after 
fome Confutation, refolved, at all Events, to go on fliore, 
tho* there certainly were fome very ftrong Arguments again ft 
it ; for they were now weakened to fuch a degree, that they 
Could fcarce, out of both Ships, fpare Men enough to man 
a Boat, and leave a fufficient Number to navigate one Ship, 
fuppofing that they fhould confent to give up all Hopes of 
carrying home the other ; but the Paffions of the Ships 
Companies were fo ftrong for going on fliore, and their Ne- 
cefiities fo great, that, on the Whole, it appeared abso- 
lutely requifite to venture a Delcent, let the Confequences 
of it be what they would. 
Accordingly, our Author was ordered into the Shallop, 
with a certain Number of Men, with Inftrucftions to go on 
fliore at any rate, by fair Means, if pofftble, and with the 
Confent of the Inhabitants, for whom they carried a great 
Quantity of Trifles by way of Prefent ; but, if this had no 
Effedt, then they were to make ufe of Force, fince the Cir- 
cumftances they were under made it as eligible to die by the 
Hands of Barbarians, as to perifh piece-meal through Want 
and Difeafes. The nearer they drew to the Coaft, the more 
they were pleafed with it, fince it gave them a View, and 
that a very near one, of all the Refreshments they could wifh 
for. The Inhabitants alfo came down in Crowds ; but not 
in a Manner that added at all to their Satisfaction : For they 
Were well armed with Bows, Arrows, and Slings, demon- 
strating Sufficiently by their Geftures, that they were not at 
all pleafed with thefe New-comers ; and that they did not 
intend, by any means, to let them land peaceably. As the 
Shallop drew nearer the Shore, the Inhabitants threw them- 
felves into a frantic Defpair, made frightful Faces, howled, 
tore their Hair, and, as if they had borrowed Courage from 
the quick Senfe of their Diftrefs, hurried off in their Canoes, 
in order to meet that Danger, which they faw was unavoid- 
able. 
19. The Dutch continued to make the beft of their Way 
towards the Land *, which when the Indians faw, they dis- 
charged a Flight of Arrows, which was followed by the Ja- 
velins they had in their Hands. This was Succeeded by a 
prodigious Shower of Stones, difeharged from their Slings •, 
and as there needed no more to convince the Dutch , that 
they had nothing to truft to but Force, they fired upon them 
without ceafing •, and this with fuch Effedt, that many of 
them were killed, and the reft terrified to fuch a degree, 
that many of them threw themfelves out of their Canoes 
into the Water, and the reft were at laft obliged to follow 
their Example ; for fuch was their Confufion, that they were 
no longer able to diftinguifh the proper Chanels, by which 
they might fafely have returned with their Canoes, but ran 
them on the Rocks and Sholes that lay before their Coafts. 
This almoft took from the Dutch all Hopes of following 
them ; and, while they were thus embaraffed, there arofe a 
moft violent Storm, of that Kind which the Dutch Seamen 
ftyle aTrajfat, and which commonly Springs in the midft of 
a Calm, when the Air is perfectly clear and Serene j and, by 
its Violence, frequently brings the Mails by the board, and 
carries the Sails into the Air, if they are not furled in an 
Inftant. This Storm forced the Ships out to Sea, and left 
the poor People in their Shallop, without Relief, and almoft 
without Hope. They ran Suddenly on a Bank of Sand, 
where they were beaten with fuch Violence by the Winds 
and Waves, that there Seemed to be no Means of Safety left ; 
but, as Defpair ufually gives Men Spirits and Strength be- 
yond what they have at other times, they had the good 
Fortune to drag their Veffei Safe to Land, where, by the 
Favour of Divine Providence, all of them got on Shore, 
fatigued indeed to the laft Degree, but without any other 
Hurt. 
The firft thing they did was, to endeavour to find out 
fome Place of Retreat, where they might be Safe from any 
Sudden Attack of their Enemies 4 but, before fuch a Place 
could be found, the Night drew on, and they were forced 
to content themfelves with getting together, where they 
were, as many Pieces of Wood, and broken Branches of 
Trees, as poffible, in order to dry arid warm themfelves. 
When they had, by this means, made a pretty good Fire, 
their Spirits began to revive, and they had Time to look 
AGES of Book I. 
about them. The Light of the Fire enabled them to dis- 
cover Several Cabins and Huts in the Neighbourhood of the 
Place where they had taken up their Abode ; nor was it long 
before they went to examine what thefe contained but 
without finding any of the Inhabitants-, and as for Utenfils 
or houfhold Goods, they had none. Aril that the Dutch 
met with, worth taking away, were a few Nets, curioufiy 
wrought. They faw likewife abundance of Cocoa-trees ; 
but, as they had brought no Hatchets, they were not able 
to come at any Fruit, and had conlequently a very comfort- 
lefs Night, during which they were perpetually difturbed 
by the frightful Noife, that the Inhabitants made in the 
Woods, whence they naturally apprehended they were every 
Moment coming to attack them. 
20. This Country appears to be exceeding fertile, efpe- 
cially in all forts of Fruits. The Mountains, that are very 
high, promife Mines of all kinds, fince there are hardly any 
Countries in this Climate, the Mountains of which do not 
produce Metals. As for the Inhabitants, they are a tall 
well-made People, perfedt Mulattoes in point of Comple- 
xion, with long black Hair, that curls down to their Waifts. 
They are extremely vigorous and nimble, and fo dextrous 
in the Fife of their Arms, that no Doubt can be made of 
their living in a perpetual State of Warfare. It has been 
long queftioned, even with the moft experienced Naviga- 
tors, whether this Land ought to be accounted a Continent, 
or an Ifland ; and perhaps the Point is not yet clear, fince 
the Difcoveries made by thefe Dutchmen are, in that refpedfo 
very inconfiderable. The Hands near the Coaft are, in a 
manner, numberlefs ; fo that it was with great Difficulty 
that they obtained a Paflage through them. It may not be 
amifs here to obferve, that this Account agrees exadly with 
that of Dampier ; fo that I make no Qiieftion, that the 
Place, where our Author landed, was the fame to which 
Dampier gave the Name of Slingers Bay , from the Dexte- 
rity of the Inhabitants in the Management of that Inftru- 
ment. 
But I do not think, that either his ill Succefs, or theirs,’ 
ought to hinder the Profecution of fo important a Difco- 
very, fince it is certainly very poffible for Ships to reach 
this Country, without meeting with their Misfortunes. The 
Coaft of New Britain is now very well known from their 
Accounts, and fo accurately laid down in our Charts, that 
there is no fort of Danger of an able Seaman’s miffing 
them ; and, if a fmall Squadron failed from hence diredtly 
for that Coaft, there is all the Probability in the World, that 
we fhould very foon be Mafters of a Country, little, if at 
all, inferior to the Dutch Spice Hands. As for our Dutch 
Difcoverers, they no fooner heard the Signal made by their 
Ships, which was a little after Midnight, than they haftened 
on board; and the next Morning they failed, making their 
Way as well as they could through that numerous Archipe- 
lago before-mentioned. The Misfortunes that had befallen 
them on ffiore made fuch an Impreffion, that they called 
this Part of the Country Stormland : Yet they immediately 
refolved to venture on a Defcent the next Opportunity that 
offered, fince they had not ten Men in both Veffels, that 
were in perfedt Health ; and their Stockfiffi, upon which 
they had lived for fome. time paft, was now fo full of 
Worms, and flunk to fuch a degree, that, inftead of eat- 
ing, they could not come near it. The Officers could not 
now pacify the Men with Stories of the Eaji Indies ; for 
they declared 'abfolutely, that any Death on ffiore would be 
more welcome, than living longer at Sea in fuch a Condition : 
And in this Situation they were, when they arrived in the 
Height of 2° South Latitude, where they expected to find 
the Hands of Moa and Arimoa , difeovered by Schovten. 
21. They had Reafon to commend the Care and Exadt- 
nefs of that able Seaman, fince they quickly difeovered both 
thofe Hands, and immediately refolved to attempt getting 
fome Relief from Arimoa , which is the biggeit of the two. 
The Inhabitants no fooner faw them approach, than they 
came out to meet them in their Canoes ; of which they had 
a prodigious Number. Thefe People were all armed with 
Bows and Arrows, even their Women and Children. They 
brought with them Cocoa-nuts, Indian Figs, various kinds 
of Roots, and other Refreffiments ; and rowed directly on 
board the Ships, without the leaft Sign of Fear or Diftruft. 
The Dutch offered them filth kind of Trifles as they had 
on 
