DAMPIEr’s ACCOUNT OF THE PHILIPPINES.

57

eight leagues wide, and forty or fifty long, which runs up the country almoft diredlyto the north j and this gulph hath feveral fmall illands along the middle of it. Onthe weft fide of the illand, almoft at the fouth end of it, the town of Macaffer is feated.A town of great ftrength and trade, belonging to the Dutch .

There are great inlets and lakes on the eaft fide of the ifland ; as alfo abundance offmall iflands and fhoals lying fcattered about it. We faw a high peaked hill at thenorth end : but the land on the eaft fide is low all along; for we cruifed almoft thelength of it. The mould on this fide is black and deep, and extraordinary fat and rich,and full of trees: and there are many brooks of water run out into the fea. Indeed

all this eaft fide of the ifland feems to be but one large grove of extraordinary greathigh trees.

Having with much ado got on this eaft fide, coafting along to the fouthward,and yet having but little wind, and even that little againft us, at fouth-fouth-weft, andfometimes calm, we were a long time going about the ifland.

The twenty-fecond day we were in latitude one degree twenty minutes fouth, andbeing about three leagues from the ifland ftanding to the fouthward, with a very gentleland wind, about two or three o’clock in the morning we heard a clafhing in the water,like boats rowing; and fearing fome fudden attack, we got up all our arms, and floodready to defend ourfelves. As foon as it was day, we faw a great prow, built like theMindanayan prows, with about fixty men in her; and fix fmaller prows. They laylull about a mile to windward of us, to view us; and propably defigned to make aprey of us when they firft came out; but they were now afraid to venture on us.

At laft we fhewed them Dutch colours, thinking thereby to allure them to come tous, tor we could not go to them ; but they prefently rowed in toward the ifland, andwent into a large opening; and we faw them no more : nor did we ever fee any otherboats or men, but only one filhing canoe, while we were about this ifland ; neither didwe fee any houfe on all the coaft.

About five or fix leagues to the fouth of this place, there is a great range of bothlarge and fmall iflands, and many fhoals alfo, that are not laid down in our drafts ;which made it extremely troublefome for us to get through. But we paft between themall and the ifland Celebes, and anchored againft a fandy bay in eight fathoms fandy

ground, about half a mile from the main ifland: being then in latitude one degreefifty minutes fouth.

forif 16 fta y ed ^ evera ^ days, and'fent out our canoes a ftriking of turtle every day ;

ere is great plenty of them; but they were very fhy, as they were generallyt We *°und them in the Eaft India feas. I know not the reafon of it, unless

t a J® S° ver y much a ftriking here ; for even in the Weft Indies they are fhy injr ™ eS 1 a . ar ^ much difturbed : and yet on New Holland we found them fhy, as Imall relate, though the natives there do not moleft them.

_ lhc ? w “hout us we went and gathered fhell-fifh at low water. There were

__ 5 0US ort cockles : the meat of one of them would fuffice feven or eightthe U . aS V r er ^ g ood w holefome meat. We did alfo beat about in the woods onl e „ ? n ’k ut found no game. One of our men, who was always troubled with foreleavpQ v Un i, a certa m vme - t ^ at fupported itfelf by clinging about other trees. Thehad a vo &C ” X or / e ^ en ^ eet high, but the firings or branches eleven or twelve. Itleavp-s ?i re , ei ^ ^af’ P rett y broad and roundifh, and of a thick fubftance. Thefeknowimr • ^ ma and boiled with hog’s lard make an excellent falve. Our meng e virtues of it flocked themfelves here: there was fcarce a man in the fhip

i but

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