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A VOYAGE TO BORNEO.
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water between us and land. As faint and benumbed as we were, being ftarved bothwith hunger and cold, we plucked up our fpirits, and the wind being fomewhatabated, we leaped overboard up to our middles in the fea, and as the tide came info we launched the boat a head, till at length we got her over the fand into deeperwater, and fo into the narrow creek about twenty feet over, and covered with trees.Now night was coming on again, and the rains ftill continuing made it molt intolerablycold, we having nothing to ftlift us, or fire to warm ourfelves. The boat being moored,we fent two of our men on fhore to fee if there were any houfes or inhabitants: theyfaw nothing but an old hut, covered up one fide with Cajan leaves to keep out thewefterly winds; alfo a little pathway, which they having followed for about half a milereturned back again, being afraid to go farther, left, being unarmed, they might beattacked by the wild beafts. They having brought us no comfortable news, we beganto fearch the boat, and found fome potatoes that had been all the while foaking inarrack and fait-water: however, we eat them raw very greedily. Before it was quitedark, we efpied a man making down towards the fea, who, as we afterwards found,had fome fifhing-gear there: he was mightily ftartled when we fpoke to him. Wetold him, that the ftrefs of weather had drove us into that place; that if he could helpus to fome fire, rice, or other provifions, we would pay him honeftly; and further togain his favour, we gave him a knife, a burning glafs, and fome other trifles that I hadin a little box. This pleafed the old man, who offered us his hut to lie in; but werefufed, thinking ourfelves fafer in our boat, though not fo well fheltered. He madea fire by rubbing two fmall pieces of dry wood together (which we afterwards endea-voured to do but could not), and gave us fome rice, and a fmall earthen pot to boilit in. Then he went to the place where his ware was, and in a little time brought us amullet and a cat-fifh : in the mean time, we found a fmall piece of raw falt-beef, thathad been trod under foot in the bottom of the boat, which we boiled with the cat-fifh,the broth whereof I thought then was the heft that I ever eat. He told us, that there wasa town about three miles off; but that he, his brother, and his daughter, lived at this hut,getting their livelihood by what fifh they could catch, and fell to the townfmen. Theriver that runs here into the fea, is called Bowalajoong: when you are in Tomberneoroad, bring Tanjong Salatan to bear fouth-fouth-eaft, and Tomberneo fouth-eaft quarterfouth, then Bowalajoong river fhall bear eaft quarter fouth of you. I take it to be abetter place to water at than Tomberneo. v
We were now come to life again, and had almoft forgot our late.melancholy fcene.We lay there in our boat three days and three nights longer, ere the wind and rainabated: then we got our boat over the bar, and fet to fea. After fome time, the wea-ther being then pretty clear, we got fight of our fhip again, and arrived happily thatday on board, having been fix days and fix nights in our boat expofed to the ftrefs ofweather, and all the dangers of perifhing imaginable. We had fuffered fo much bycold, hunger, and wet, that all our lives were in danger ; particularly one Mr. Law-irence Orchard had got fuch a terrible cold by it, that he died in a few days after,and another efcaped very narrowly; for my own part, though I held out the beft ofany of the company, after the firft night’s reft in my bed, 1 was fo ftiff, and had fucha pain all over my bones, that I was hardly able to ftir. Our people on board, aswell as thofe at the fadlory, had given us over for loft.
I fet out again for Tatas on the 30th of November, and arrived there next morning ;where I found Mr. Becher very dangeroufly ill of a fever, and light headed. Therewas one Cay Deponattee, a very honeft man, who often ufed to vifit us : he happened
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