October 21.
At six o'clock the next morning it settled in the South-East with heavy rain, thunder, and lightning, and afterwards the weather cleared up. As soon as day dawned, sail was made to the North-West and before noon we hauled up North-North-West to allow for a westerly current; at two p.m. the weather clouded in and was followed by squalls of wind and rain from the North-East, which, after passing over us, returned again from the westward with more rain but less wind.
October 22.
At daylight (22nd) we saw the Island of Rottee, but instead of being, according to our account, to windward of it, we were very little to the eastward of its south-west end; having been set forty-three miles to the westward since yesterday noon. During the day, as the wind was at South-East, we endeavoured to pass round its windward side, but the current was setting with such strength to the westward that, finding we had lost ground during the night, we bore up the next morning for the island of Savu, a proceeding which, if we should succeed in procuring refreshments and fresh water there, would be more advantageous than going to Timor: for in the first place there was less chance of incurring sickness among the crew; and secondly we should be farther advanced on our voyage back. Captain Cook, on his visit to Savu in 1770, found a Dutch resident there; and I recollected having been assured by Mr. Hazaart, the Resident at Timor, that the people were well-disposed towards the English: Captain Horsburgh also mentions in his description of Savu that the Dutch have residents on all these islands; and, as a corroboration of these accounts, I had been informed by the master of a merchant schooner at Port Jackson, who had lately been among these islands, that abundance of good water could be procured there. Opposed to this last report, Captain Cook says, "We were upon the coast at the latter end of the dry season (September), when there had been no rain for seven months, and we were told, that when the dry season continues so long, there is no running stream of fresh water upon the whole island, but only small springs, which are at a considerable distance from the sea side:"* this conflicting account was discouraging; but as we had lately had much rain it was hoped that there would be a sufficiency in the springs for our use.
(*Footnote. Hawkesworth Coll. volume 3 page 277.)
October 24.
Having fully weighed all these circumstances we bore up for Savu, and at four p.m. on the 24th anchored in Zeba Bay, on the north-west side of the island. The bank on which the anchor was dropped was so steep that, although the anchor was in twelve fathoms, the vessel was, at the length of forty fathoms of cable, in twenty-two fathoms. As we were bringing up, two muskets were fired from the shore, and a white flag, or rather a rag, was suspended to a pole, around which a group of people had collected. This flag gave us no very favourable idea of the respectability of the place, and the meaning of the muskets we could not divine, nor indeed ever did discover, unless it was that we had anchored on bad ground: the boat was then hoisted out and I went on shore, accompanied by Messrs. Bedwell and Cunningham, to where the flag was displayed. On approaching the shore three people came down to direct us to the proper landing place; for in all other parts of the beach a heavy surf was breaking. We were then conducted to a hut in the rear of the flagstaff, where we found from fifteen to twenty persons assembled; two of whom appeared, by their dress and from the respect paid to them by the rest, to be chiefs. To these I addressed myself and inquired for the Dutch resident, but soon found there was none, and that one of those to whom we were speaking was the Rajah himself. I afterwards found he was the identical Amadima of whom interesting mention is made by Peron in his historical account of Captain Baudin's expedition.*
(*Footnote. Peron tome 1 pages 119, 151, 161, and 162.)
My inquiries were made partly by signs and partly by a few terms in the Malay language that we had collected from Captain Cook,* and from Labillardiere's account of D'Entrecasteaux's voyage. Aer (water) was among the foremost of our inquiries, to which we added the terms for pigs, sheep, fowls, and coconuts, (vavee, doomba, mannu, and nieu). Everything but water was plentiful and could be supplied by paying for them in rupees or bartering them for gunpowder. On repeating the question for water, their constant reply was, trada aer! trada aer! (no water, no water). No misunderstanding could have taken place, for on our inquiry, thinking it was for present use, they brought us some to drink. They afterwards conducted us to a shallow well or spring in which there were about ten or fifteen gallons; and this was all there was near the sea.
(*Footnote. Hawkesworth Coll. volume 3 page 298.)