HISTORY OF MAURITIUS, 
*$ 
discover a better; and, at about five miles from the ship, he found a bay with a sandy 
bottom. At a small distance within land he discovered a lake, the water of which 
had a brackish taste. He saw abundance of geese, pigeons, grey paroquets, and 
other birds. He found twenty-five turtle-doves under a single tree, which were so 
fat that they could scarcely walk. If he caught a paroquet, or any other bird, and 
hurt it so as to make it cry out, those of its own kind would instantly fly about it, 
as if to defend it from further injury, and thus suffer themselves to be taken. 
Having examined the bay, he sent an account of it to the sick people on shore, 
who willingly re-embarked, and the ship came to an anchor there in seven fathom 
water. Detachments of the crew were permitted to go on shore in search of refresh¬ 
ments, while others were employed in fishing the lake, in which they took carp, and 
a kind of salmon, which was very luscious and of a delicious flavour. They caught 
a bird which the Dutch called dod-aers; it has very small wings, and is extremely 
fat. They discovered also a rivulet of fresh water, which flowed from the moun¬ 
tains, and was pleasantly bordered with trees. On the shore they found a plank, 
on which was engraved an account that Adrian Martin Blok, who commanded a 
fleet of thirteen vessels, had, on that spot, lost several boats and the sailors that 
manned them, on approaching the shore. Bontekoe, however, does not remark that 
the breakers were dangerous. 
As the island was not inhabited, the sailors were free to wander over it, and to 
amuse themselves with fishing, shooting, or bird catching. They made wooden spits 
which served to roast the birds, and, by basting them with the oil of turtles, they 
were rendered delicious food. They discovered a second river, in which plenty of 
large eels were taken, which were well tasted. They also saw some goats, but those 
animals were so wild and swift that they caught but one, which was old, and whose 
horns were half eaten by worms. His flesh was not eatable. 
With this abundance of refreshments the greater part of the sick were speedily 
and perfectly recovered, and but seven of them remained on shore till the departure 
of the ship, which was furnished with a large store of provisions, the produce of the 
island, which had been salted and dried. The birds, however, during the excursions 
of the ship’s crew, had been taught all the wildness natural to them in the haunts 
of men. 
Bontekoe took leave of this island with the design of touching at Mauritius, but 
the ship having fallen too low, they saw it only at a distance to the windward, 
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