登陆注册
14823400000027

第27章

On the 27th, being in the latitude of 2 degrees 10 minutes south, and in the longitude of 146 degrees 57 minutes, we fancied that we had a sight of the island of Moa, but it proved to be that of Jama, which lies a little to the east of Moa. We found here great plenty of cocoa-nuts and other refreshments. The inhabitants were absolutely black, and could easily repeat the words that they heard others speak, which shows their own to be a very copious language.

It is, however, exceedingly difficult to pronounce, because they make frequent use of the letter R, and sometimes to such a degree that it occurs twice or thrice in the same word. The next day we anchored on the coast of the island of Moa, where we likewise found abundance of refreshments, and where we were obliged by bad weather to stay till May 9th. We purchased there, by way of exchange, six thousand cocoa-nuts, and a hundred bags of pysanghs or Indian figs.

When we first began to trade with these people, one of our seamen was wounded by an arrow that one of the natives let fly, either through malice or inadvertency. We were at that very juncture endeavouring to bring our ships close to the shore, which so terrified these islanders, that they brought of their own accord on board us, the man who had shot the arrow and left him at our mercy.

We found them after this accident much more tractable than before in every respect. Our sailors, therefore, pulled off the iron hoops from some of the old water-casks, stuck them into wooden handles, and filing them to an edge, sold these awkward knives to the inhabitants for their fruits.

In all probability they had not forgot what happened to our people on July 16th, 1616, in the days of William Schovten: these people, it seems, treated him very ill; upon which James le Maire brought his ship close to the shore, and fired a broadside through the woods; the bullets, flying through the trees, struck the negroes with such a panic, that they fled in an instant up into the country, and durst not show their heads again till they had made full satisfaction for what was past, and thereby secured their safety for the time to come; and he traded with them afterwards very peaceably, and with mutual satisfaction.

This account of our author's seems to have been taken upon memory, and is not very exact. Schovten's seamen, or rather the petty officer who commanded his long boat, insulted the natives grossly before they offered any injury to his people; and then, notwithstanding they fired upon them with small arms, the islanders obliged them to retreat; so that they were forced to bring the great guns to bear upon the island before they could reduce them. These people do not deserve to be treated as savages, because Schovten acknowledges that they had been engaged in commerce with the Spaniards; as appeared by their having iron pots, glass beads, and pendants, with other European commodities, before he came thither.

He also tells us that they were a very civilised people, their country well cultivated and very fruitful; that they had a great many boats, and other small craft, which they navigated with great dexterity. He adds also, that they gave him a very distinct account of the neighbouring islands, and that they solicited him to fire upon the Arimoans, with whom it seems they are always at war; which, however, he refused to do, unless provoked to it by some injury offered by those people. It is therefore very apparent that the inhabitants of Moa are a people with whom any Europeans, settled in their neighbourhood, might without any difficulty settle a commerce, and receive considerable assistance from them in making discoveries.

But perhaps some nations are fitter for these kind of expeditions than others, as being less apt to make use of their artillery and small arms upon every little dispute; for as the inhabitants of Moa are well enough acquainted with the superiority which the Europeans have over them, it cannot be supposed that they will ever hazard their total destruction by committing any gross act of cruelty upon strangers who visit their coast; and it is certainly very unfair to treat people as savages and barbarians, merely for defending themselves when insulted or attacked without cause. The instance Captain Tasman gives us of their delivering up the man who wounded his sailor is a plain proof of this; and as to the diffidence and suspicion which some later voyagers have complained of with respect to the inhabitants of this island, they must certainly be the effects of the bad behaviour of such Europeans as this nation have hitherto dealt with, and would be effectually removed, if ever they had a settled experience of a contrary conduct. The surest method of teaching people to behave honestly towards us is to behave friendly and honestly towards them, and then there is no great reason to fear, that such as give evident proofs of capacity and civility in the common affairs of life should be guilty of treachery that must turn to their own disadvantage.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 魔法校长

    魔法校长

    这是一个魔法师穿越到玄幻世界当校长的故事。不同文明的碰撞,魔法与玄气,孰强孰弱?这其实是一本东方玄幻。
  • 弄人书

    弄人书

    大数之界,吾寻归路;非绝心不可至,非至高无可达。
  • 苍穹归来

    苍穹归来

    从魔渊逃离的云强,成长为绝世强者的经历。
  • 缘来终究逃不开

    缘来终究逃不开

    她,巫族皇室血脉,万人敬仰的红娘大人。他,白狐一族的七皇子,却因一身淡蓝,遭族人排斥。两人均为逃婚,而相遇。却不知,缘来,终究逃不开。“你吃太多了,这些是我的了。”“你,你还吃。我不要你了。”她气冲冲的跑开了。“哎,别走啊!又剩我一个人了。”他看着她逐渐远去的背影,眼睛湿润起来。“哎,你别哭啊,我不走了。”原来他并非性情如孩童一般,“桃夭,你走快点啊,老是慢吞吞的。”桃夭还未作出回答,只听白长歌又说一句,“对哦,你腿短。”桃夭看他渐渐远去,赌气的坐在地上。“呐。快点,不然我后悔了。”白长歌蹲下,死要面子的说。“你好讨厌啊。”桃夭虽然嘴上这么说,但手臂却盘在了他的颈上。两人脸上都浮现出了笑容。
  • 都市焚妖录

    都市焚妖录

    神兽、妖兽?仙狐鬼怪、魑魅魍魉。齐齐聚集。外国的吸血鬼?中国的僵尸?搜遍山海经内所有怪物,焚尽世间所有妖魔!
  • 超级游乐园

    超级游乐园

    普通版简介:这是一个各路英雄豪杰、牛鬼蛇神汇聚在都市游乐园,令人捧腹的故事。文艺版简介:我们的征途在星辰大海,我们的梦想在超级游乐园。二逼版简介:那啥,师师、圆圆、婵婵,出来接客了,布布你去巡逻,有逃票的往死里弄。——————————————————都市种田经营,轻松搞笑风格,新书上传求收藏,各种求。我们的目标是建立一座汇聚各路奇葩,轻松搞笑的游乐园。大家一起来把历史上所有杰出的人物,统统玩坏!
  • 网游之星际国战

    网游之星际国战

    2050年,世界科技加速发展,一款全意识游戏《新世界》悄然而至,小说主人公高让是一位孤儿,被一位神秘的老爷爷所救,游戏开放前一天,老爷爷神秘离去,留给高让一个游戏头盔,凵看主人公高让在游戏里闯出一片天……
  • 给你一片星空

    给你一片星空

    【周更5000+】公交车上的偶遇,一笑沦陷。付出了八年的青春,得到的是死神的召见,换来的是痛不欲生的结果。曾经傻傻的以为他总有一天会发现她的好,谁知道一切只是自己的自作多情。得知消息的她一步一步走向死亡的深渊,化身一副冷冷的尸体……乔沐兮曾经说过,他是她的一切,是她内心的一把火,燃烧着她的生命,即使火势太猛把自己烧得体无完肤,她也不曾后悔。【他说:“别对我太好,我怕我回报不了你。”她说:“只要你能幸福,让我怎么做都可以。”】
  • 苍茫无尽

    苍茫无尽

    在一座小山城之中,一个叫叶云的少年执着于成仙。“你好大的胆子!”叶府的祠堂中传出一阵阵怒吼,一个穿着长袍的中年人正指着跪在地上的一个少年咆哮着。“修仙!”少年的一双眼睛铮亮,似乎根本就没有将中年人的话听进半句。“以后你若是还敢提什么修仙,我非打断你的腿...”咆哮声就是叶府的家丁听见都害怕的打颤,可叶云却不以为意。“修仙!我要修仙!”叶云就像着了魔,只想着修仙。修仙大道,逆天之路。
  • 孽不开一生的缘

    孽不开一生的缘

    她狠心扔下光亮的前途归来,只为替她姐姐报仇;他从小受尽鄙弃,历经生死坎坷发誓要守住哪怕不属于自己的东西;他,驰骋一方,善良孝顺,却不料最亲的人竟是伤害自己最深的人。三个人,爱恨情仇,紧紧纠缠,等待彼此遍体鳞伤时才发现,一切都不是他们所能想到的那样......