ld, as to touch the muskets of our men and
to try to take the same off their shoulders, while they wanted to have
whatever they could make use of; our men accordingly diverted their
attention by showing them iron and beads, and espying vantage, seized one
of the blacks by a string which he wore round his neck, and carried him
off to the pinnace; the blacks who remained on the beach, set up dreadful
howls and made violent gestures, but the others who kept concealed in the
wood remained there. These natives are coal-black, with lean bodies and
stark naked, having twisted baskets or nets round their heads; in hair
and figure they are like the blacks of the Coromandel coast, but they
seem to be less cunning, bold and evil-natured than the blacks at the
western extremity of Nova Guinea; their weapons, of which we bring
specimens along with us, are less deadly than those we have seen used by
other blacks; the weapons in use with them are assagays, shields, clubs
and sticks about half a fathom in length; as regards their customs and
policy and the nature of the country, Your Worships will in time be able
to get information from the black man we have got hold of, to whom I
would beg leave to refer you...

On the 19th, the wind being S.E., we remained at anchor, and since the
yachts were very poorly provided with firewood, the skipper of the Pera
went ashore with the two pinnaces duly manned and armed; when the men
were engaged in cutting wood, {Page 37} a large number of blacks upwards
of 200 came upon them, and tried every means to surprise and overcome
them, so that our men were compelled to fire two shots, upon which the
blacks fled, one of their number having been hit and having fallen; our
men then proceeded somewhat farther up the country, where they found
several weapons, of which they took some along with them by way of
curiosities. During their march they observed in various places great
quantities of divers human bones, from which it may be safely concluded
that the blacks along the coast of Nova Guinea are man-eaters who do not
spare each other when driven by hunger.

On the 20th, the wind being S.E., we set sail on a S.S.W. course; at noon
we came to anchor with the ebb-tide running from the South, in 31/2 fathom
clayey bottom, and ordered the skipper to go ashore with the two
pinnaces, duly provided for defence, and diligently inquire into the
state of things on shore, so far as time and place should allow; when he