On the 8th of February, 1756 the two ships set sail together from this roadstead...
On March 26 they were overtaken by a violent storm off the Banda islands, so that they got separated, and the ship Buijs, finding it impossible to stand out to sea, entered the port of Banda on March 28; the ship Rijder held out with fore- and mizen-sails struck until the weather got better, and not knowing that the ship Buys had returned to port, continued her voyage. On April 4 those on board the ship Rijder sighted Cape Falso in Lat. 7° 54' S., in 5 and 4½ fathom; they then shaped their course to the S.E. and afterwards to the S.S.E., until on April 10 they saw the high land of Carpentaria, known by the name of hoog Eijland, near which they found an island not known to the chart, to which island they gave the name of Rijders Eijland. From the hooge Eyland a reef runs out to sea a distance of nearly three miles coming close to the Rijders Eyland...They then shaped their course along the land in order to get into the bay, in depths Of 8, 7, 7½, 6½ fathom sandy bottom, at which last depth they came to anchor on April the 16th, where they estimated themselves to be about two miles off shore. On the 17th do. they went ashore with the boat for the first time in order to ascertain the nature of the coast. On landing they found a number of cabins constructed of the bark of trees; they also saw a man who fled into the wood at their approach, and a small prow or species of vessel also made of bark, together with some fishing-tackle and a kind of assagays made of branches of trees, from 4 to 9 feet long, tipped at one end with a small piece of bone ground to a sharp point. The fishing-lines seemed to be twisted out of fibrous bark, and, instead of hooks, had pointed claws of beasts fastened to them. The land was overgrown with tall grass, and they saw a number of fine dells or valleys, through which flowed various small rills of fresh water; the trees were very tall and straight, of regular growth and of different kinds, some of which would, as they presumed, furnish excellent timber for ships' masts, yards, etc. The soil was very rich, and on the whole the country looked very promising. They remained there, making various landings, and taking in firewood and water, till the 26th of April, when they put to sea again...shaping their course E.N.E. close to the wind in depths Of 5, 6 or 7 fathom, following the trend of the coast till they had got into 10° 30' S. Lat., where they cast anchor on April 28, in order to explore the land also in this latitude. They found nothing worth mentioning, however, {Page 93} except a few more cabins or huts of the kind before described, the inmates of which took to the wood as soon as our men appeared. They dragged the boat on the {Page 94} beach here, and repaired the same, remaining there till the 13th of May, waiting for the ship de Buys. On that day they resolved to continue their voyage, shaping their course along the land as high as they could in order to keep the same alongside; but they lost sight of the land all the same, and became aware that the said land lay at least one degree more to southward than the chart had led them to believe. On the 24th of May they again sighted the land in 12° 18' S. Lat.; it showed as a very low-lying coast, whose trend they followed close inshore. In Lat. 12° 26' South they cast anchor in 10 fathom good anchoring-ground. As they were lying at anchor at about 1 or 1½ mile's distance from the shore, they saw two of the prows above described paddle up to the ship, each of them containing two men, who, when they had got near the ship, by signs and cries began to signify to our men that they wished them to come ashore. The following day, being the 26th of May, our men went ashore at daybreak, and on landing found several persons there, who, however, all took to flight directly. They also saw two dogs, not unlike so-called Bengal jackals. The persons who had fled, shortly after returned to them, when they found them armed with the assagays above described. They were accompanied by a number of females who had their privities covered with a kind of small mats. The natives then all of them sat down on the beach near our men, who made signs to them that they were seeking fresh water; upon which the natives got up and signified to our men their willingness to show them the places where water was obtainable. Nor were our men deceived, for after walking on along the beach for some time, they were conducted to a pleasant valley with fine trees such as those above described. This seemed to be the dwelling-place of the natives, for our men saw here more women and children and also a number of primitive dwellings, merely consisting of sheltered places under the trees partly covered in with bark. The water which they found here, welled up out of the earth in pits dug by human hands. After having inspected the whole place, they went back to the beach, where they found the two prows in which the natives had previously approached the ship. As our men were seated on the beach, nineteen natives came up to them, all of them with bodies daubed over with red; when the said natives were by our men treated to some arrack with sugar, they began to make merry and even struck up a kind of chant, at the conclusion of which they retired to the wood again.
In the morning of the 27th our men went ashore again for the purpose of attempting to get hold of one or two natives, but did not succeed in doing so that day, because they landed too late to lure the natives to the beach. Early in the morning of the 28th they again landed in order to execute their plan; on their arrival the natives came up to them dancing and singing, sat down close to them, laid aside their so-called assagays or weapons, and again enjoyed the liquor with which our men plied them. While they were thus making merry, our men seized hold of two of them [*], upon which the others jumped to their feet, snatched up their assagays and began to throw them at our people without, however, wounding any one; except that the ship's clerk, who in flying tried to seize one of the natives round the body, was in the scuffle slightly wounded in the hand; upon this, our men fired a volley, wounding one of the natives, who thereupon all of them fled into the bush. Our people then tried to drag to the boat the two men they had got hold of, but as they were tying their {Page 95} arms and legs together, one of them by frantic biting and tearing contrived to get loose and effect his escape. Shortly after upwards of fifty natives again made their appearance, throwing assagays, but they also took to their heels, when our people let off another volley of musketry, after which our men succeeded in carrying off their one prisoner to the boat.
[* A sorry return for kindness received!]
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On the 29th of May, the wind being S.E. and S.E. by E. with a top-gallant gale, they put to sea again, running S.S.W. close by the wind in from 10 to 11 fathom good anchoring-ground. At noon they found their latitude to be 12° 31' South, and dropped anchor in 10 fathom good anchoring-ground, at about 1 or 1½ mile's distance from the land, their compasses showing 3° 49' north-easterly variation.
On the 30th of May, as they were lying at anchor, two small prows came to within half a mile of the ship and then paddled back to shore.
On the 31st of May, the wind being East and E.S.E., with a top-gallant gale, they set sail close to the wind on a southerly course. At noon they took the latitude of 12° 44' South, having passed depths of 10 and 10½ fathom. At sunset the countercurrent forced them to drop anchor before the Mosselbaaij.
On the 1st of June, the wind being E.S.E. and S.E. by E. with a weak top-gallant gale, they set sail over depths of 10½, 11, 12 and latterly 10½ fathom again, good anchoring ground, upon which they dropped anchor in the forenoon. At noon it fell a calm, and they took the latitude of 12° 51' South, the compasses showing 3° 3' north-easterly variation.
In the morning of June 2 the wind varied between East, E.S.E., and S.E., and then went round to S.W. by S.; they sent the boat ashore in search of fresh water, since in the latitude they had now reached the chart showed a fresh-water river. When the boat returned alongside, they were informed that there was an excellent watering-place close by, where the water came rushing down the rocks, and also a fine inland lake, near which the men had seen a great number of birds of various kinds, together with certain foot-prints of large animals. In the drawing or chart this spot has been named Rijders waterplaats situated in 12° 57' S. Lat.