登陆注册
14823400000048

第48章

Next morning my men came aboard and brought a runlet of brackish water which they had got out of another well that they dug in a place a mile off, and about half as far from the shore; but this water was not fit to drink. However, we all concluded that it would serve to boil our oatmeal, for burgoo, whereby we might save the remains of our other water for drinking, till we should get more: and accordingly the next day we brought aboard four hogsheads of it: but while we were at work about the well we were sadly pestered with the flies, which were more troublesome to us than the sun, though it shone clear and strong upon us all the while very hot. All this while we saw no more of the natives, but saw some of the smoke of some of their fires at two or three miles distance.

The land hereabouts was much like the port of New Holland that I formerly described; it is low, but seemingly barricaded with a long chain of sand-hills to the sea, that lets nothing be seen of what is farther within land. At high water the tides rising so high as they do, the coast shows very low: but when it is low water it seems to be of an indifferent height. At low water-mark the shore is all rocky, so that then there is no landing with a boat; but at high water a boat may come in over those rocks to the sandy bay, which runs all along on this coast. The land by the sea for about five or six hundred yards is a dry sandy soil, bearing only shrubs and bushes of divers sorts. Some of these had them at this time of the year, yellow flowers or blossoms, some blue, and some white; most of them of a very fragrant smell. Some had fruit like peascods, in each of which there were just ten small peas; I opened many of them, and found no more nor less. There are also here some of that sort of bean which I saw at Rosemary Island: and another sort of small red hard pulse, growing in cods also, with little black eyes like beans. I know not their names, but have seen them used often in the East Indies for weighing gold; and they make the same use of them at Guinea, as I have heard, where the women also make bracelets with them to wear about their arms. These grow on bushes; but here are also a fruit like beans growing on a creeping sort of shrub-like vine. There was great plenty of all these sorts of cod-fruit growing on the sand-hills by the sea side, some of them green, some ripe, and some fallen on the ground: but I could not perceive that any of them had been gathered by the natives; and might not probably be wholesome food.

The land farther in, that is, lower than what borders on the sea, was so much as we saw of it, very plain and even; partly savannahs and partly woodland. The savannahs bear a sort of thin coarse grass. The mould is also a coarser sand than that by the sea-side, and in some places it is clay. Here are a great many rocks in the large savannah we were in, which are five or six feet high, and round at top like a hay-cock, very remarkable; some red and some white. The woodland lies farther in still, where there were divers sorts of small trees, scarce any three feet in circumference, their bodies twelve or fourteen feet high, with a head of small knibs or boughs. By the sides of the creeks, especially nigh the sea, there grow a few small black mangrove-trees.

There are but few land animals. I saw some lizards; and my men saw two or three beasts like hungry wolves, lean like so many skeletons, being nothing but skin and bones; it is probable that it was the foot of one of those beasts that I mentioned as seen by us in New Holland. We saw a raccoon or two, and one small speckled snake.

The land fowls that we saw here were crows, just such as ours in England, small hawks and kites, a few of each sort: but here are plenty of small turtle doves, that are plump, fat, and very good meat. Here are two or three sorts of smaller birds, some as big as larks, some less; but not many of either sort. The sea-fowl are pelicans, boobies, noddies, curlews, seapies, &c., and but few of these neither.

The sea is plentifully stocked with the largest whales that I ever saw; but not to compare with the vast ones of the Northern Seas. We saw also a great many green turtle, but caught none, here being no place to set a turtle net in; there being no channel for them, and the tides running so strong. We saw some sharks and parracoots; and with hooks and lines we caught some rock-fish and old-wives. Of shell-fish, here were oysters both of the common kind for eating, and of the pearl kind; and also whelks, conchs, muscles, limpits, periwinkles, &c., and I gathered a few strange shells, chiefly a sort not large, and thickset all about with rays or spikes growing in rows.

And thus having ranged about a considerable time upon this coast, without finding any good fresh water or any convenient place to clean the ship, as I had hoped for; and it being moreover the height of the dry season, and my men growing scorbutic for want of refreshments, so that I had little encouragement to search further, I resolved to leave this coast, and accordingly in the beginning of September set sail towards Timor.

On the 12th of December, 1699, we sailed from Babao, coasting along the island Timor to the eastward, towards New Guinea. It was the 20th before we got as far as Laphao, which is but forty leagues. We saw black clouds in the north-west, and expected the wind from that quarter above a month sooner.

That afternoon we saw the opening between the islands Omba and Fetter, but feared to pass through in the night. At two o'clock in the morning it fell calm, and continued so till noon, in which time we drove with the current back again south-west six or seven leagues.

同类推荐
  • 太上说青玄雷令法行因地妙经

    太上说青玄雷令法行因地妙经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 佛顶尊胜陀罗尼念诵仪轨法

    佛顶尊胜陀罗尼念诵仪轨法

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 包孝肃奏议

    包孝肃奏议

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • THE SEVENTH LETTER

    THE SEVENTH LETTER

    You write to me that I must consider your views the same as those ofDion, and you urge me to aid your cause so far as I can in word anddeed. My answer is that, if you have the same opinion and desire as hehad, I consent to aid your cause; but if not, I shall think morethan once about it.
  • 劝善经

    劝善经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 贪婪彼岸岛

    贪婪彼岸岛

    官方版本:一个胖子的【贪婪岛】的卡牌冒险之旅,筹集彩虹七色套牌归家,打倒所有强者,收集传奇卡牌,学会【气】和【念】坐拥佳丽三千,这是一场脑洞大开的冒险,不免会遇到生活艰辛的白痴们。第一人称版本:本故事纯粹需要一个胖子的YY,要好多好多妹纸【妹纸控】、Money【伪土豪】、各种美食【吃货】,最好能有一点超能力傍身【超超人】,所有人都在变贪婪,胖子铭只是稍微多一摩尔数量级而已,彼岸,欢迎来到【贪婪岛】。PS.本书具有自动淘汰读者的能力,入坑需谨慎,点击需勇气,读下去得靠非人类的逻辑。PS.【贪婪岛】地理:【布莱德福】、【暴风城】、【白塔】、【黑夜高塔】、【玛莎多拉】、【天空竞技场】
  • 创世幻神录

    创世幻神录

    少年的心,勇敢的剑。持剑平天下侠客心,一光一暗创世来。这是一个幻气的世界,这是一个热血沸腾的年代。一个从小被家族认为是百年不遇的废柴,意外地得到了被封印的上古神兽天龙帮助。从此,一个寻找尊严的少年便踏上漫漫成神……
  • 腹黑帝艾财如命

    腹黑帝艾财如命

    你见过摸屁股穿越的么?你见过被猪鄙视的人么?你见过想念鼻屎的人么?你听说过花魁是男人么?
  • 念观天

    念观天

    修行之路充满着艰难险阻,去掉主角光环再去看,有的人没有修炼资质没法修行,有的人资质一般走不远,有的人资质可以但总有兑现完的一天,能够将设定好的修行体系(多半只为主角而设定的体系)从微末修炼到巅峰的人除了主角还能有几人,所以修行路是说断就断啦。这是观天的故事,欢迎各位书友点阅!
  • 兽宠:呆萌调皮捣蛋妃

    兽宠:呆萌调皮捣蛋妃

    它金小洛不过是一名普普通通的大学生,只不过因为毕业喝了点小酒而已,竟然还能够狗血穿越,我嘞个去,这都行,赶明都喝酒穿越去吧!额~不过我这刚穿越,醒来后却变成了······狐狸,狐狸就狐狸吧,可这只有巴掌大的身体是这么回事啊?啊啊啊,我想去屎啊!诶?大殿上的这位美男是谁啊,快让本小妞调戏调戏,哎!?美男等等我······(本文纯属虚构)↖(^ω^)↗
  • 魔元界

    魔元界

    魔元之界,风雷水火,一切尽在掌控。烈火焚天,寒冰冻地,斗转无尽苍穹。如幻世界,如画红颜,等君英姿雄霸。不甘渺小,不甘无名,誓要横剑天下。魔元界之旅,要你来,扬眉拔剑,创造一个世界,笑傲一个天下。
  • 阴阳屠戮者

    阴阳屠戮者

    屠神、诛仙、灭鬼!上天入地、无所不能!!
  • 男色时代:恋上名门公子

    男色时代:恋上名门公子

    今年她命犯桃花,新学期开始,居然就亲身体验了一把“一女二男,纠结爱恋”的狗血爱情剧戏码……不过,两位超级校草都好帅气呀……啧啧,一个温柔如王子,总在她需要的时候出现。另一个则霸道如恶魔……面对两个同样出色的校草,她都有点动心了,咋办?能不能两个都爱?
  • 一日的春光

    一日的春光

    冰心,中国现代著名女作家,儿童文学作家。本书收录了冰心在不同时期写作的散文名篇,作品写人、状物、抒情、怀旧等体裁宽泛,文字隽永。
  • 谙世镜

    谙世镜

    我记不清这一轮月光静静流淌了多少年,也记不清历史的长卷惊艳又消逝了多少英雄豪杰,岁月惊鸿,白云瞬息。朝代兴衰,人鬼来往。有人说,这个世界早已经变了,不再是我们熟悉的模样。人心,就是一面时代的镜子。可我知道,在这片古老的九州大地上,始终都有道义长存。千载!万年!那些为了大道抛头颅、洒热血的先祖,他们留下的,从来就不只是青山绿水,还有我们共同的道德信仰和精神归宿!纵使洪荒渺渺,仙道无常,都不忘最初的那颗铁血丹心。曾有人,春风夜渡,月下寻仙去,曾有人,和你一样,期望谙世,静好……曾有人,对你说,你和我,就是这世界最初的模样。