They Have Broad Round
Faces, With Great Bottle-Noses, Yet Agreeable Enough Till They
Disfigure Them By Painting, And By
Wearing great things through
their noses as big as a man's thumb, and about four inches long.
These are run
Clear through both nostrils, one end coming out by one
cheek-bone, and the other end against the other; and their noses so
stretched that only a small slip of them appears about the ornament.
They have also great holes in their ears, wherein they wear such
stuff as in their noses. They are very dexterous, active fellows in
their proas, which are very ingeniously built. They are narrow and
long, with outriggers on one side, the head and stern higher than
the rest, and carved into many devices--viz., some fowl, fish, or a
man's head painted or carved; and though it is but rudely done, yet
the resemblance appears plainly, and shows an ingenious fancy. But
with what instruments they make their proas or carved work I know
not, for they seem to be utterly ignorant of iron. They have very
neat paddles, with which they manage their proas dexterously, and
make great way through the water. Their weapons are chiefly lances,
swords and slings, and some bows and arrows. They have also wooden
fish-spears for striking fish. Those that came to assault us in
Slinger's Bay on the main are in all respects like these, and I
believe these are alike treacherous. Their speech is clear and
distinct. The words they used most when near us were vacousee
allamais, and then they pointed to the shore. Their signs of
friendship are either a great truncheon, or bough of a tree full of
leaves, put on their heads, often striking their heads with their
hands.
The next day, having a fresh gale of wind, we got under a high
island, about four or five leagues round, very woody, and full of
plantations upon the sides of the hills; and in the bays, by the
waterside, are abundance of cocoa-nut trees. It lies in the
latitude of 3 degrees 25 minutes south, and meridian distance from
Cape Mabo 1,316 miles. On the south-east part of it are three or
four other small woody islands, one high and peaked, the others low
and flat, all bedecked with cocoa-nut trees and other wood. On the
north there is another island of an indifferent height and of a
somewhat larger circumference than the great high island last
mentioned. We passed between this and the high island. The high
island is called in the Dutch drafts Anthony Cave's Island. As for
the flat, low island, and the other small one, it is probable they
were never seen by the Dutch, nor the islands to the north of Garret
Dennis's Island. As soon as we came near Cave's Island some canoes
came about us, and made signs for us to come ashore, as all the rest
had done before, probably thinking we could run the ship aground
anywhere, as they did their proas, for we saw neither sail nor
anchor among any of them, though most Eastern Indians have both.
These had proas made of one tree, well dug, with outriggers on one
side; they were but small, yet well shaped. We endeavoured to
anchor, but found no ground within a mile of the shore. We kept
close along the north side, still sounding till we came to the
north-east end, but found no ground, the canoes still accompanying
us, and the bays were covered with men going along as we sailed.
Many of them strove to swim off to us, but we left them astern.
Being at the north-east point, we found a strong current setting to
the north-west, so that though we had steered to keep under the high
island, yet we were driven towards the flat one. At this time three
of the natives came on board. I gave each of them a knife, a
looking-glass, and a string of beads. I showed them pumpkins and
cocoa-nut shells, and made signs to them to bring some aboard, and
had presently three cocoa-nuts out of one of the canoes. I showed
them nutmegs, and by their signs I guessed they had some on the
island. I also showed them some gold dust, which they seemed to
know, and called out "Manneel, Manneel," and pointed towards the
land. A while after these men were gone, two or three canoes came
from the flat island, and by signs invited us to their island, at
which the others seemed displeased, and used very menacing gestures
and, I believe, speeches to each other. Night coming on, we stood
off to sea, and having but little wind all night, were driven away
to the north-west. We saw many great fires on the flat island. The
last men that came off to us were all black as those we had seen
before, with frizzled hair. They were very tall, lusty, well-shaped
men. They wear great things in their noses, and paint as the
others, but not much. They make the same signs of friendship, and
their language seems to be one; but the others had proas, and these
canoes. On the sides of some of these we saw the figures of several
fish neatly cut, and these last were not so shy as the others.
Steering away from Cave's Island south-south-east, we found a strong
current against us, which set only in some places in streams, and in
them we saw many trees and logs of wood, which drove by us. We had
but little wood aboard; wherefore I hoisted out the pinnace, and
sent her to take up some of this drift-wood. In a little time she
came aboard with a great tree in tow, which we could hardly hoist in
with all our tackles. We cut up the tree and split it for firewood.
It was much worm-eaten, and had in it some live worms above an inch
long, and about the bigness of a goose-quill, and having their heads
crusted over with a thin shell.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 42 of 50
Words from 42523 to 43560
of 50938
