DAMPIER’s ACCOUNT OF NEW HOLLAND. 477

them to be at a farther diflance from Bird Ifland than I expe&ed. In the afternoonit fell quite calm, and when we had a little wind, it was fo unconftant, flying fromone point to another, that I could not without difficulty get through the iflands whereI defigned; befides, I found a current fetting to the fouthward, fo that it was be-twixt five and fix in the evening before I paffed through the iflands, and then juftWeathered little Watela, whereas I thought to have been two or three leagues morenortherly. We faw the day before, betwixt two and three, a fpout but a fmall diftancefrom us; it fell down out of a black cloud, that yielded great ftore of rain, thunderand lightning : this cloud hovered to the fouthward of us for the fpace of three hours,and then drew to the weftward a great pace, at which time it was that we faw thefpout, which hung faff; to the cloud till it broke, and then the cloud whirled about tothe fouth-eaft, then to eaft-north-eaft, where meeting with an ifland, it fpent itfelf andfo difperfed, and immediately we had a little of the tail of it, having had nonebefore. Afterward we faw a fmoak on the ifland Kofiway, which continued tillnight.

On new-year’s day we firft defcried the land of New-Guinea , which appeared to behigh land ; and the next day we faw feveral high iflands on the coaft of New Guinea, ,and ran in with the main land. The fhore here lies along eaft-fouth-eaft and weft-north-weft. It is high even land, very well clothed with tall flourilhing trees, whichappeared very green, and gave us a very pleafant profpect. We ran to the weftwardof four mountainous iflands; and in the night had a fmall tornado, which broughtwith it fome rain and a fair wind. We had fair weather for a long time, onlywhen near any land we had fome tornadoes; but off, at fea, commonlyclear weather; though, if in fight of land, we ufually faw many black clouds hoveringabout it.

On the 5th and 6th of January, we plied to get in with the land; defigning toanchor, fill water, and fpend a little time in fearching the country, till after the changeof the moon, for I found a ftrong current fetting againft us. We anchored in thirtyeight fathom water, good oozy ground. We had an ifland of a league long withoutus, about three miles diftant, and we rode from the main about a mile. The eaftermoftpoint of land feen, bore eaft-by-fouth half-fouth, diftance three leagues; and theweftermoft, weft-fouth-weft half-fouth, diftance two leagues. So foon as we anchored,,we fent the pinnace to look for water, and try if they could catch any fifh. After-wards we fent the yawl another way to fee for water. Before night the pinnacebrought on board feveral forts of fruits, that they found in the woods, fuch as I neverfaw before. One of my men killed a ftately land-fowl, as big as the largeft dunghill-cock ; it was of a fky-colour, only in the middle of the wings was a white fpot, aboutwhich were fome reddifh fpots; on the crown it had a large bunch of long feathers,which appeared very pretty; his bill was like a.pigeon’s: he had ftrong legs andfeet, like dunghill-fowls, only the claws were reddifh, his crop was full of fmallberries. It lays an egg as big as a large hen’s egg, for our men climbed the treewhere it nefted, and brought off one egg. They found water, and reported that thetrees were large, tall and very thick, and that they faw no fign of people. At nightthe yawl came aboard, and brought a wooden fifsgig, very ingenioufly made, thematter of it was a fmall cane; they found it by a fmall barbecue, where they alfo fawa fluttered canoe.

The next morning I fent the boatfwain a fhore a fifhing, and at one haul he caughtthree hundred and fifty-two mackarels, and about twenty other fifties, which I caufedto be equally divided among all my company. I fent alfo the gunner and chief mate,,

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