After This We Passed By An Island, Called By The Dutch St. John's
Island, Leaving It To The North Of Us.
It is about nine or ten
leagues round, and very well adorned with lofty trees.
We saw many
plantations on the sides of the hills, and abundance of cocoa-nut
trees about them, as also thick groves on the bays by the seaside.
As we came near it three canoes came off to us, but would not come
aboard. They were such as we had seen about the other islands.
They spoke the same language, and made the same signs of peace, and
their canoes were such as at Cave's Island.
We stood along by St. John's Island till we came almost to the
south-east point, and then, seeing no more islands to the eastward
of us, nor any likelihood of anchoring under this, I steered away
for the main of New Guinea, we being now, as I supposed, to the east
of it, on this north side. My design of seeing these islands as I
passed along was to get wood and water, but could find no anchor
ground, and therefore could not do as I purposed; besides, these
islands are all so populous, that I dared not send my boat ashore,
unless I could have anchored pretty nigh; wherefore I rather chose
to prosecute my design on the main, the season of the year being now
at hand, for I judged the westerly winds were nigh spent.
On the 8th of March we saw some smoke on the main, being distant
from it four or five leagues. It is very high, woody land, with
some spots of savannah. About ten in the morning six or seven
canoes came off to us. Most of them had no more than one man in
them. They were all black, with short curled hair, having the same
ornaments in their noses, and their heads so shaved and painted, and
speaking the same words as the inhabitants of Cave's Island before
mentioned.
There was a headland to the southward of us, beyond which, seeing no
land, I supposed that from thence the land trends away more
westerly. This headland lies in the latitude of 5 degrees 2 minutes
south, and meridian distance from Cape Mabo 1,290 miles. In the
night we lay by, for fear of overshooting this headland, between
which and Cape St. Manes the land is high, mountainous and woody,
having many points of land shooting out into the sea, which make so
many fine bays; the coast lies north-north-east and south-south-
west.
The 9th, in the morning a huge black man came off to us in a canoe,
but would not come aboard. He made the same signs of friendship to
us as the rest we had met with; yet seemed to differ in his
language, not using any of those words which the others did. We saw
neither smoke nor plantations near this headland. We found here
variation 1 degree east.
In the afternoon, as we plied near the shore, three canoes came off
to us; one had four men in her, the others two apiece. That with
the four men came pretty nigh us, and showed us a cocoa-nut and
water in a bamboo, making signs that there was enough ashore where
they lived; they pointed to the place where they would have us go,
and so went away. We saw a small round pretty high island about a
league to the north of this headland, within which there was a large
deep bay, whither the canoes went; and we strove to get thither
before night, but could not; wherefore we stood off, and saw land to
the westward of this headland, bearing west-by-south-half-south
distance about ten leagues, and, as we thought, still more land
bearing south-west-by-south, distance twelve or fourteen leagues,
but being clouded, it disappeared, and we thought we had been
deceived. Before night we opened the headland fair, and I named it
Cape St. George. The land from hence trends away west-north-west
about ten leagues, which is as far as we could see it; and the land
that we saw to the westward of it in the evening, which bore west-
by-south-half-south, was another point about ten leagues from Cape
St. George; between which there runs in a deep bay for twenty
leagues or more. We saw some high land in spots like islands, down
in that bay at a great distance; but whether they are islands, or
the main closing there we know not. The next morning we saw other
land to the south-east of the westernmost point, which till then was
clouded; it was very high land, and the same that we saw the day
before, that disappeared in a cloud. This Cape St. George lies in
the latitude of 5 degrees 5 minutes south; and meridian distance
from Cape Mabo 1,290 miles. The island off this cape I called St.
George's Isle; and the bay between it and the west point I named St.
George's Bay. [Note:- No Dutch drafts go so far as this cape by ten
leagues.] On the 10th, in the evening, we got within a league of
the westernmost land seen, which is pretty high and very woody, but
no appearance of anchoring. I stood off again, designing, if
possible, to ply to and fro in this bay till I found a conveniency
to wood and water. We saw no more plantations nor cocoa-nut trees;
yet in the night we discerned a small fire right against us. The
next morning we saw a burning mountain in the country. It was
round, high, and peaked at top, as most volcanoes are, and sent
forth a great quantity of smoke. We took up a log of driftwood, and
split it for firing; in which we found some small fish.
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