[Footnote 7: When Captain King first visited Melville Island, on the north coast of Australia, the natives appeared on the beach and called out to our voyager, "Ven aca," the Portuguese term for "Come here." From this, coupled with many circumstances that came under his observation during his stay at Melville Island, Major Campbell, in an excellent account of that island inserted in the journal of the Royal Geographical Society, states it to be his opinion, that the Portuguese sometimes touch here and carry off the natives as slaves. When this part of the world is better known, similar scandalous transactions will, probably, be brought to light.--_Trans._] CHAPTER III. THE SERWATTY ISLANDS. Arrival at the island of Wetta.--Productions.--Trade.--Interview with the natives.--Destruction of the chief village.--Depart for Kissa.--The Christian inhabitants.--The fort Vallenhoven.--Friendly reception by the natives.--Beauty of the landscape.--State of agriculture.--Attachment of the people to the Dutch government.--General assemblage of the people.--Performance of divine service.--Native hospitalities.--Order, neatness and industry of the people of Kissa. During the existence of the Dutch East India Company, a garrison of their troops occupied the village of Sau, on the south coast of Wetta, an island situated opposite the north coast of Timor. We directed our course thither, and stood close along shore to search for the village in question. The shores of the island were steep and hilly, but luxuriantly clothed with trees, among which appeared at intervals the huts of the inhabitants, the whole presenting a most picturesque view. The natives appeared to be extremely shy, none of them making their appearance on the beach, nor indeed seeming to wish to look at us. On the 10th of June we arrived off Sau, and came to an anchor in fifty fathoms water, about a cable's length from the shore, in a small bay, where we lay tolerably well sheltered from the south-east winds by a point of land. Having fired a gun, and hoisted the Dutch flag, two natives made their appearance on the beach, to whom I sent one of the interpreters, who soon brought them on board. They proved to be Christian native chiefs, Hura, the Orang Kaya, and Dirk-Cobus, the Orang Tua of the village.[8] Their appearance betokened great poverty, and they complained bitterly of the miserable state into which they had fallen since they had lost the protection of the Dutch. They informed me that four years previously their village had been plundered and burned to the ground, and several of their people killed, by the inhabitants of Lette, since which occurrence they had deserted the sea-coast, and had taken up their residence in the hills.