They still had the north-western end of Papua or New
Guinea between them and Banda, from which they were distant at least
twelve degrees of longitude.
- E.]
On the 8th, continuing their course W.N.W. having a high island on the
starboard, and another somewhat lower to larboard, they anchored in the
afternoon in 70 fathoms on a good sandy bottom, about a cannon-shot from
the land, at an island in 3 deg. 40' S. which seemed an unhealthy place,
yielding nothing of any value except a little ginger. It was inhabited
by Papuas or blacks, whose ridiculous mode of dress, and their own
natural deformity, made them appear little short of a kind of monsters.
Hardly any of them but had something odd and strange, either in the
bigness or position of their limbs. They had strings of hog's teeth hung
about their necks; their noses were perforated, in which rings were
fastened; their hair was frizled, and their faces very ugly. Their
houses also were extremely singular, being mounted on stakes, eight or
nine feet above the ground. Before noon of the 9th, they anchored in a
more convenient bay, in 26 fathoms, on a bottom of sand mixed with clay.
There were two villages near the shore, whence some canoes brought off
hogs and cocoas, but the Indians held them at so dear a rate that the
Dutch would not buy any of them.
Though they had now sailed so long upon this new land, yet were they
unable to determine with any certainty if it actually were the coast of
New Guinea, as their charts neither agreed with each other, nor with the
coast in view.
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