Notable Voyagers, From Columbus to NordenskioldKingston, William Henry Giles
History
Notable Voyagers, From Columbus to Nordenskiold
Kingston, William Henry Giles
Explorers; Voyages and travels
Dampier, Mr Hall, Ambrose, and a Portuguese were then set on shore.
Soon afterwards, the four Malays belonging to Achin were also landed.
The party now felt strong enough to defend themselves against the
natives. Dampier's intention was to get into their good graces, and to
obtain whatever he wanted by fair means. He would have preferred, for
some reasons, having been left by himself, for he felt sure he should
succeed in winning over the islanders.
The natives, on seeing so many visitors, kept at a distance, but did not
attempt to molest them. Next morning, the owner of the house came to
see them, and from him they obtained a canoe in exchange for an axe.
They at once, being anxious to be off, embarked in her, but had got a
short distance only from the shore, when she was overturned. They
succeeded, however, in towing their chests and other property to the
beach, and immediately lighted some fires to dry the contents, some
books and sketches of maps having alone suffered. The Achinese in the
meantime fitted their canoe with outriggers on each side, and made a
mast and a substantial sail with mats. As soon as all was ready, they
put off again in their frail bark, the islanders accompanying them in
their canoes. Mr Hall, to frighten them away, fired a gun over their
heads. On hearing it, they jumped overboard, and that fatal shot made
all the natives their enemies.
They had great difficulty in procuring cocoa-nuts, and on going to the
farther end of the island, they found a large number of people, who made
signs for them to be off. On this Dampier presented his gun at them.
On seeing it, they all fell flat down on their faces, but he turned
round and fired it towards the sea, to show the savages that no harm was
intended them.
As soon as he had reloaded, they pulled gently in. Again the savages
made signs of their hatred, on which Dampier again fired off his gun,
when the greater number sneaked away, leaving only five or six men on
the beach. On this, Mr Hall landed, the only weapon he carried being
his sword. The natives did not stir, so he took one of them by the
hand, and making signs of friendship, a peace was concluded.
This evidently gave the greatest satisfaction to all the inhabitants,
who now brought down melory, a sort of cake, made from a fruit
resembling the bread-fruit. This they exchanged for old rags and strips
of cloth.
Going to the south of the island, Dampier and his party provided
themselves with more melory and a dozen large cocoa-nuts filled with
water, containing in all about three gallons and a half. They also
obtained three bamboos, which held three gallons more. This served for
their sea store. Their intention was to go to Achin, on the north-west
end of the island of Sumatra, from which they were about forty leagues
distant. It bore south-south-east.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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