The Inhabitants Made Use Of Canoes Of All Sizes, Were
Armed With Slings, Darts, And Wooden Swords, Wore Necklaces And
Bracelets Of Pearl, And Rings In Their Noses.
They were, however,
very intractable, notwithstanding all the pains that could be taken
to engage them in a fair
Correspondence, so that Captain Schovten
was at last obliged to fire upon them to prevent them from making
themselves masters of his vessel, which they attacked with a great
deal of vigour; and very probably this was the reason that Captain
Tasman did not attempt to land or make any farther discovery. On
April 1st, we were in the latitude of 4 degrees 30 minutes south,
and in the longitude of 171 degrees 2 minutes, the variation being 8
degrees 45 minutes to the east, having now sight of the coast of New
Guinea; and endeavouring to double the cape which the Spaniards call
Cobo Santa Maria, we continued to sail along the coast which lies
north-west. We afterwards passed the islands of Antony Caens,
Gardeners Island, and Fishers Island, advancing towards the
promontory called Struis Hoek, where the coast runs south and south-
east. We resolved to pursue the same route, and to continue
steering south till we should either discover land or a passage on
that side.
It is necessary to observe, that all this time they continued on the
coast, not of New Guinea but of New Britain, for that cape which the
Spaniards called Santa Maria is the very same that Captain Dampier
called Cape St. George, and Caens, Gardeners, and Fishers Islands
all lie upon the same coast.
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