The Oran Kaya, who was an elderly man, received us very civilly, and invited us to sit down beside him. Soon afterwards Pabok came up. He was very old, had lost the sight of one eye, and wore an old straw hat of European manufacture, decorated with stripes of red and blue cloth sewn round it. I tried in vain to get more information from him about the European boy; and on pressing him to come down to the boat to receive a present, he made signs he was too old to do so.
After remaining a short time in the village, during which one of our party caught a transient glimpse of some of the women, we returned to the beach; where we found that the natives had brought a plentiful supply of coconuts, and they promised to bring some other supplies off in the morning.
DEPARTURE FROM OLILIET.
At sunset the natives all went quietly away, and we returned on board, passing on our way some small rocky islands which appeared to be used as burial places, and emitted an intolerable stench; the bodies were placed in rude wooden boxes, open at the top and quite exposed to the air, from one small rock not large enough to hold a body, there was a long bamboo erected, from which a human hand, blackened by exposure to the sun, was suspended.
On the 22nd, soon after daylight, the natives came off, bringing with them Indian corn and coconuts, in such quantities that they sold the latter for a couple of pins each. They also brought yams, bananas, fowls, chilies, etc. but they did not seem inclined to part with them for anything we could offer, except gunpowder, which I would not allow to be given as barter.
At nine, finding we could get no more information from them, we weighed; the natives all left us very quietly as soon as the capstan was manned, and by signs appeared to wish us to revisit them. During the whole time they were on board, they behaved perfectly well, and did not make any attempt at stealing, though they must have seen many things most valuable to them, which they might easily have taken.
From what we saw of Oliliet, it does not appear to be a place from which any quantity of sea stock can be procured, for although they had plenty of pigs and fowls in the village, they did not seem at all inclined to part with them. Water may be procured on the beach, but a merchant vessel should be very cautious in sending her boats for it, as the crew being necessarily divided, would easily fall victims to any treacherous attack on the part of the natives; and from all we subsequently learnt of them from the traders we met at Arru, they are not always to be trusted.
After clearing the bay we stood to the northward, along the east coast of Timor Laut, which is formed by a range of hills wooded to the very summit, and indented by deep bays which would afford anchorage during the North-West monsoon, were it not for a coral reef that appears to extend along the coast, at a distance of two to three miles from the shore. During the day we passed six villages, all built like Oliliet on cliffs overhanging the sea, and protected on the land side by dense jungle, through which it would be difficult to penetrate.
ARRU ISLANDS.
At sunset, we passed a small detached coral reef, and then steered for the Arru Islands, in the hope of being able to gain some information from the traders who frequent them, for the purpose of procuring the birds of Paradise, trepang, pearls, etc. which are found in their vicinity.