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.
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.
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