[ ‘ 794-
■ water, and p u rp o fed rem a in in g on e n ig h t on the ifland to barter w i th ,
th e na tiv e s, and p rocu re emu Feathers from them. T h e d a y after th e y
w e r e p u t on Ihore th e w e a th e t ch an g ed , com in g Oh to b low h a r d ; th e
ftiip was d riv en to le ew ard o f th e b a y in w h ic h th e y la n d e d ; and it w a s
n o t un til th e third d a y that it w a s p offib le to fend a boat after them. M r .
D e l l h im fe lf w a s em p lo y ed on this o cc afion , and returned w i th the mela
n ch o ly ac co u n t o f h is b e in g unable to d ifc o y e r th e ir lo ft companions.
A n armed fo rce w a s th en fent on Ihore, b u t fuc ceed ed o n ly in b u rn in g
th e h u ts and in c lo fure s o f th e natives. A t a fire th e y fo u n d fem e in c on -
teftab le p roo fs that th e ir friends cou ld n o t be l i v in g ; o f th re e h um an
h an d s w h ic h th e y to o k u p , o n e , b y fom e p articu la r mark s, w a s p o fi-
t i v e ly th o u g h t b y M r . D e ll to h a v e b e lon g ed to M r . C a r te r ; th e ir
g re a t coats w e re alfo fo u n d w i th th e buttons cu t o f f ; a t in d e r -b o x , a
lan te rn , a tom ah aw k , and o th e r ar ticles from th e bo at, w e r e alfo fo u n d ;
b u t th o u g h th e y row e d en tir e ly ro u n d th e ifland, lo o k in g in to e v e r y co v e
o r c r e e k , th e boat cou ld no t be feen. M r . D e ll w a s , i f p ó flib le , to p rocu re
tw o p rifone r s ; b u t h e cou ld no t fuc ceed . In the. in te r co u r fe , h ow e v e r ,
w h ic h h e had w i th th em , th e y g a v e h im to und erftand b y fign s , th a t th e y
h ad k illed all w h o w e r e in th e bo a t, e x c e p t tw o : at lea ft, fo M r . D e ll
th o u g h t ; b u t i f it w a s fo , n o th in g cou ld be h o p e d from th e e x c ep tio n ,
n o r co u ld a n y o th e r c o n c lu fio n be fo rm ed , than th a t th e y w e r e re fe rv ed
p erhap s fo r m ore d eliberate to rture and a m o r e h o r r id end.
T h i s ifland w a s d efcr ibed as ab ou n d in g w i th th e red fw e e t p otatoe,
fu g a r -can e , plantains , b amb oo , co c o a tre e s, and mangro v e s. T h e nativ
e s appeared flo u t , and w e re in h e ig h t from fiv e fe e t e ig h t to f ix fe e t
tw o in c h e s ; th e ir co lo u r d ark , and th e ir lan gu a g e harffi and d is agreeable.
T h e we ap on s w h ic h w e r e feen w e r e fpears, lances made o f
a hard bla ck w o o d , and clubs ab ou t fo u r feet in len gth . T h e y liv ed
in h uts re fem b lin g a h a y - c o c k , w i th a p ole d r iv en th ro u g h th e middle,
fo rm ed o f lo n g gra fs and th e le a ve s o f th e cocoa-tree. T h e fe huts
m ig h t con tain f ix o r e ig h t pe rfon s e ach , and w e re in c lo fed w ith a fen ce
o f bamb oo. In a co rn e r o f fome o f th e h uts w h ic h th e y entered, th e y
p e rce iv ed a w o o d en im a g e , in ten d ed to refemble a m a n ; in others the
fig u r e o f a b ird , v e r y ru d e ly ca rv ed , daubed w i th red , and cu r io u fly
decorated w i th the fe a the rs o f th e emu. O v e r thefe images w e r e fu f-
p endqd from th e r o o f fe v e ra l fir in g s o f h um an hands, each f ir in g
4 h a v in g
h a v in g fiv e o r f ix hands on it. In fome th e y fo u n d fmall p iles o f
h um an f c u l ls ; and in o n e , in w h ic h the re w a s a m u ch la rg e r p ile o f
fculls than in a n y o th e r th a t th e y had v ifite d , th e y , ob fe rv ed fome g um
b u rn in g b efore a w o o d en image.
T h is ifland was. fup pofed to be ab out e ig h t mileS in len g th , fiv e in
bread th, and fifte en in c ir cum fe r e n c e ; a co ra l r e e f feemed to gua rd
i t from all ap p roa ch, e x c ep t on th e n o r th -w e ft p art w h ic h fo rm ed a
b a y , w h e re the ftiip an ch ored in th ir te en fath om s w a te r . F r e lh w a te r
was feen o n ly in one place.
M r . B am p ton did no t ar r iv e at T im o r until th e n t h o f Sep tem be r,
h a v in g been detained in th e ftraits b y a m o lt difficult and d angerous
n a v ig a tio n . B y this paffage h e h ad ah o p p o r tu n ity o f d ifc o v e r in g th a t
th e ftraits w h ic h w e r e named after T o r r e s , and fup po fed to h a v e be en
paffed firft b y h im in th e y e a r 160 6 , and afterw ard s b y G r e e n in
1 7 2 2 , c o u ld n e ve r h a v e e x ifte d ; fo r M r . B am p ton n o w o b fe rv ed , th a t
N e w G u in e a e x ten d ed n in e ty miles to th e fou thw a rd o f this fup pofed
track .
O f the tw o conv id ts ta k en from h en ce b y th e S h ah H o rm u z e a r , J o h n
A f c o t Was k illed b y th e nativ es w i th C ap ta in H i l l , and C a th a r ine
P r y o r , A fc o t ’ s w i fe , died tw o day s b efore th e ftiip g o t to B a ta v ia , o f a
fp otted fe v e r , th e effec t o f freq u en t in eb r ie ty w h ile at T im o r . A f c o t
w a s th e y o u n g man w h o fe a c t iv ity p re ven ted th e S ir iu s , w i th th e
ftores and p rov ifio n s on b oard, from b e in g b u rn t th e n ig h t after Ihe
w a s w re ck e d o f f N o r fo lk Ifland , and th e reb y fav ed th a t fettlement from
fe e lin g ab folute w a n t at th a t time.
C ap ta in D e ll was fu ll th re e mon th s in h is paffage from B o m b a y ;
d u r in g th e latter p a r t o f w h ic h tim e th e p eop le on board fuffered grea t
diftrefe from a Ihortnefs o f w a te r and fu e l. O u t o f fe v en ty - fiv e p e r fon s ,
m o f t ly L a fea r s, w i th w h om h e failed , n in e died , and a fe v e r e x ifted
am o n g th o fe w h o remained o n his ar rival.
T h e p eop le w h o h ad b ro k en in to M r . K e n t ’ s hou fe w e r e fo d a r in g
as to fend to that gen tleman a le tte r in miferable v e r fe , co n ta in in g fome
in v ed tiv e s ag ainft one B e v a n , a p r ifone r in co n fin em en t fo r a b u rg la ry ,
and a w om an w h o th e y fup po fed had g iv e n in fo rm a tion o f the p eop le
th a t b roke in to the c le rg ym an ’ s fto re ro om , w h ic h affair th e y to o k u p on
th em fe lv e s .