The Part Borne by the Dutch in the Discovery of Australia 1606-1765 Part 10

wind; in the night we had variable wind and weather, so that we kept drifting; in the day-watch the skipper of the Aernem, Direk Melisz., died of the wounds received the day before, having suffered grievous pains shortly before his death.

In the morning of the thirteenth the wind was N.E. with fair weather and little wind, so that we ran near the land again; at noon we were in Lat.

4 25'; the wind West with a very stiff breeze, course held East by South, and by computation sailed 10 miles until the evening; in the night the wind was variable; towards daybreak it came on to rain; at 2 miles'

distance from the low-lying land we were in 28 fathom, black sandy bottom, the land bearing East and West.

In the morning of the 14th the wind was East with a faint breeze, which continued for the rest of the day; we kept tacking; in the evening the wind was N.E. by N. with a very strong current setting westward.

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On the 15th before daybreak the wind was N. by W. with a stiff breeze, course held East by South; in the morning we took the sun's alt.i.tude at sunrise, which we found to be 7 degrees; at night ditto 21 30'; the difference being divided by two comes to 7 15'; somewhat later in the day, the wind being N.E. by N., we were five miles or upwards from the land in 33 fathom, drifting rapidly to westward; at noon we were in Lat.

4 51', the wind W. by N.; course held N.E. by E. towards the land; shortly after the wind became due North; from the morning to the evening we had sailed 6 miles, and in 36 hours had been driven back, i.e.

westward, at least 11 miles.

This same day the plenary council having been convened, it has been deemed advisable to appoint another skipper in the Aernem in the room of the deceased, to which place has been appointed a young man, named Willem Joosten van Colster [*] second mate in the Pera, as being very fit for the post, while at the same time the second mate Jan Jansz has been named first mate in the said yacht.

[* Or Van Coolsteerdt, as the Summary (see _infra_) has at this date.]

(Mountains covered with snow.)

In the morning of the 16th we took the sun's alt.i.tude at sunrise, which we found to be 5 6'; the preceding evening ditto 20 30'; the difference being divided by two Comes to 7 42'. increasing North-easterly variation; the wind N. by E.; we were at about 1 mile's distance from the low-lying land in 5 or 6 fathom, clayey bottom; at a distance of about 10 miles by estimation into the interior, we saw a very high mountain-range in many places white with snow, which we thought a very singular sight, being so near the line equinoctial. Towards the evening we held our course E. by S. along half-submerged land in 5, 4, 3 and 2 fathom, at which last point we dropped anchor; we lay there for five hours, during which time we found the water to have risen 4 or 5 feet; in the first watch, the wind being N.E., we ran into deeper water, and came to anchor in 10 fathom, where we remained for the night.

In the morning of the 17th the wind was N.E. with a faint breeze with which we set sail, course held S.E.; at noon we were in Lat. 5 24', and by estimation 5 miles more to eastward than on the 15th last, seeing that a very strong current had driven us fully 11 miles to westward; in the evening we found ourselves at 3 miles' distance from the land, and dropped anchor in 15 fathom, having in the course of the day sailed three miles E. by S. and E.S.E.

In the morning of the 18th the wind was N.E. with a strong breeze and a strong current setting to the west; in the afternoon the wind went round to the S.W., so that we meant to set sail with it, but as it fell a dead calm we had to remain at anchor.

In the morning of the 19th the wind was N.E. by N., so that we made sail, keeping an E.S.E. course along the coast, with a strong current setting westward; at noon we were in Lat. 5 27'; it then fell calm and we had continual counter-currents, so that we cast anchor in 14 fathom, having sailed 2 miles; the land bearing from us E.S.E., slightly South; towards the evening the wind went round to S.S.W., so that we set sail again and ran on S.E. 1 mile; when it became dark we cast anchor in 6 fathom.

At noon on the 20th the wind was S. and shortly after S.W., with which we set sail, keeping our course E. by S. and S.O. along the land in 6 fathom; in the evening we cast anchor at about 3 miles' distance from the land, having sailed 5 miles this day.

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On the 21st the wind was N.E. by N. with a weak breeze and the current running south straight from the land, which is no doubt owing to the outflow of the rivers which take their source in the high mountains of the interior. The eastern part of the high land, which we could see, bore from us N.E. and N.E. by N; in the morning we set sail with a N.W. wind and fair weather course held S.E. by E. and S.E. for three miles, and then S.S.E. for five miles; in the evening we dropped anchor in 7 fathom about 3 miles from the land, the wind blowing hard from the west with violent rains.

In the morning of the 22nd the wind was N., a strong gale with rain and a strong current setting westward, so that we were compelled to remain at anchor; towards the evening the wind went round to W.S.W., with dirty weather, so that we got adrift by our anchor getting loose, upon which we dropped our large anchor to avoid stranding; in the afternoon the storm subsided and we had variable winds.

In the morning of the 23rd we set sail, course held S.E. with a S.W. wind and violent rains; when we had run a mile, the heavy swells forced us to drop anchor; in the afternoon we lifted anchor with great difficulty and peril owing to the violent rolling of the yacht, and set sail, but shortly after, the yacht Aernem making a sign with her flag that she could not manage to heave her anchor, we cast anchor again.

In the morning of the 24th the weather was unruly, with a W. wind and a very hollow sea; in the afternoon the weather getting slightly better, both the yachts set sail again with the wind as before, holding a S. by E. course; in the evening we dropped anchor in 14 fathom, having sailed 4 miles S.S.E., and found the land to extend E.S.E. ever since the 20th instant.

In the morning of the 25th we set sail with a N.N.W. wind, sailing 4 miles on an E.S.E. course, and then 5 miles on a S. by E. and S.S.E.

course, after which the foretop-mast of the Aernem broke, so that we were both compelled to drop anchor in 10 fathom about 4 miles from the land.

In the morning of the 26th we set sail to get near the Aernem and speak to her crew, who were engaged in repairing the rigging and replacing the foremast; we both drifted with the current in the teeth of the wind, and thus ran 3 miles, when the Aernem cast anchor 1 mile from us on the weather-side; in the evening there was a strong current from the W.S.W.

with rain, which lasted the whole night.

NOTE.

(Here end the mountains of the western extremity of Nova Guinea.)

The high-lying interior of Ceram ends here, without showing any opening or pa.s.sage (through which we might run north according to our plan), and pa.s.ses into low-lying half-submerged land, bearing E.S.E. and S.E. by E., extending in all likelihood as far as Nova Guinea, a point which with G.o.d's help we mean to make sure of at any cost; on coming from Aru to the island of Ceram, the latter is found to have a low-lying foreland dangerous to touch at, since at 6, 8 and 9 miles' distance from the same, the lofty mountains of the interior become visible, the low foreland remaining invisible until one has got within 3 or 4 miles from the land; the high mountains are seen to extend fully thirty miles to eastward, when you are north of Aru; as seen from afar, the land seems to have numerous pleasant valleys and running fresh-water rivers; here and there it is overgrown with brushwood and in other places covered with high trees; but we are unable to give any information as to what fruits, metals and animals it contains, and as to the manner of its cultivation since the natives whom {Page 27} we found to be savages and man-eaters, refused to hold parley with us, and fell upon our men who suffered grievous damage; after the report, however, of some of the men of the yacht Aernem, who being wounded on the 11th aforementioned, succeeded in making their escape, the natives are tall black men with curly heads of hair and two large holes through their noses, stark naked, not covering even their privities; their arms are arrows, bows, a.s.sagays, callaways and the like. They have no vessels either large or small, nor has the coast any capes or bights that might afford shelter from west- and south-winds, the whole sh.o.r.e being clear and unenc.u.mbered, with a clayey bottom, forming a good anchoring-ground, the sea being not above 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 fathom in depth at 1, 2 and more miles' distance from the land, the rise and fall of the water with the tides we found to be between 1 and 2 fathom.

In the morning of the 27th the wind was W.N.W. with dirty weather and a very high sea, so that the Aernem was unable so heave her anchor in order to get near us, on which account we both of us remained at anchor the whole day; towards the evening the weather became much worse with pouring rains, so that we dropped another anchor; in the day-watch the cable of our large anchor broke without our perceiving it, and the other anchor getting loose, we drifted slowly to eastward; the land here extended E.S.E. and W.S.W.

In the morning of the 28th the Aernem was no longer in sight, so that we resolved to set sail in order to seek her; holding our course S.W., we ran on for three miles, after which we saw on our lee land bearing S.W. which we would not sail clear of; we therefore dropped anchor in 9 fathom, the weather still continuing dirty with rain and wind, and a strong ebb from the E.S.E. running flat against the wind; the water rising and falling fully two fathom at every tide.

MARCH.

On the first the wind was W. by N. with rain: we find that in these lat.i.tudes the southern and northern moon makes high water; at noon we weighed anchor and drifted with the current, which set strongly to westward.

On the second the wind was west with fair weather, with which we found it impossible to weather the land; in the evening we were in Lat. 6 45'.

In the morning of the third the wind was W., with a strong gale and rain; at noon we had fair weather so that myself and the council determined to set sail on a Northern course in order to seek the yacht Aernem; when we had run on the said course for the s.p.a.ce of 5 gla.s.ses, we saw the said yacht N.W. of us, but since the current ran very strong in our teeth, we dropped anchor in 10 fathom.

In the morning of the 4th the wind was north, with which we set sail in order to get near the Aernem; but when we had sailed for an hour, the headwind and counter-current forced us to drop anchor.

The yacht aforesaid, which was lying above the wind and the current, now weighed her anchor and dropped the same near the Pera, after which the skipper of the Aernern came on board of us in the pinnace, and informed me that they had very nearly lost the yacht in the storm before mentioned, since all the seas they had s.h.i.+pped had found their way into the hold, which got so full of water that the greater part of their rice, powder and matches had become wet through; this same day I sent the skipper and the steersman of the Pera on board the yacht Aernem in order to inquire into her condition, and ascertain whether she was so weak and disabled as had been reported to me; since the persons committed reported that the yacht was very weak and disabled above the waterline, it has been resolved that the main-topmast, which they had already taken down by way of precaution, should not be put up again provisionally.

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The same day we set sail again with the wind as before, course held S.W., and after running on for two miles, we cast anchor again in 11 fathom.

In the morning of the 5th we set sail again, with a W. wind; course held S.S.W. when we had run on for two miles we got change of weather with variable winds, in the evening we came to anchor in 13 fathom...

On the 6th we set sail again before daybreak, the wind being West; course held S.S.W., sailed three miles; about noon, the wind blowing straight for the coast, we cast anchor in 5 fathom at a mile's distance from the coast, and, in conformity with the resolution, fetched a light anchor from the yacht Aernem.

(Keerweer, formerly mistaken for island.)

In the morning of the 7th we set sail again, the wind being N.E., course held W., in order to get a little farther off the land; when we had run a mile, we dropped anchor in 5 fathom, and I went ash.o.r.e myself with two well-manned and armed pinnaces, because on the 6th aforesaid we had seen 4 or 5 canoes making from the land for the yachts; when we got near the land we saw a small canoe with three blacks; when we rowed towards them, they went back to the land and put one of the three ash.o.r.e, as we supposed, in order to give warning for the natives there to come in great numbers and seize and capture our pinnaces; for as soon as we made towards them, they tried to draw us on, slowly paddling on towards the land; at last the "jureba.s.s"(?) swam to them, with some strings of beads, but they refused to admit him; so we made signs and called out to them, but they paid little or no attention, upon which we began to pull back to the yacht without having effected anything; the blacks or savages seeing this, slowly followed us, and when we showed them beads and iron objects, they cautiously came near one of our pinnaces; one of the sailors in the pinnace inadvertently touching the canoe with one of his oars, the blacks forthwith began to attack our men, and threw several callaways into the pinnace, without, however, doing any damage owing to the caution used by the men in her; in order to frighten them the corporal fired a musket, which hit them both, so that they died on the spot; we then rowed back to the yachts. To the place on the coast where the aforesaid incident took place, we have given the name of Keerweer (= Turn again) in the new chart, seeing that the land here trends to S.W. and West; its lat.i.tude being 7.

On the 8th we had a strong gale from the S.S.W. the whole day, with rain and unsteady weather, so that we thought it best to remain at anchor.

In the morning of the 9th the weather was fair, and the wind west, so that we set sail on a N.N.W. course; when we had run one mile we saw two groups of canoes putting off from sh.o.r.e and making for us, one consisting of 7, and the other of 8 small canoes; as we were lying close to the wind and could not weather the land with it, we came to anchor in 3 fathom; one of the canoes aforesaid came so near us, that we could call out to her, but the second group aforesaid kept quiet, upon which the canoe which had been near us, paddled towards this second group; from their various gestures we saw and understood sufficiently that their intentions had from the first been anything but peaceable, but G.o.d's Providence prevented them from carrying their wicked plans into effect; in the evening we set sail again with the current, the wind being west and our course held N.N.W. in the first watch we turned our course S.W. and S.W.

by W., on which we sailed the whole night, until about daybreak we found the water shallowing and dropped anchor in 2 fathom, having sailed 5 miles.

[* _Scil._ by the men of the s.h.i.+p Duifken (see the extract below).--Princess Marianne Strait and Prince Frederik Hendrik island.

(There is no reference in the text for this footnote--Ed.)]

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In the morning of the 10th we set sail again, the wind being W.N.W., on a S.W. course; at noon we were in Lat. 7 35'; in the evening we came to anchor in 3 fathom muddy bottom, at about 1 mile's distance from the land.