rd. Some of these were a league distant
from the others, and some only a cannon-shot. Their latitude was in 2 deg.
30' S. a little more or less.

On the 6th in the morning, the weather being variable and even sometimes
stormy, they had in the morning a very high hill before them, bearing
S.W. which they thought to have been _Geeminassi_ in Banda; but, on a
nearer approach, they discovered three other hills more like it in the
north, some six or seven leagues distant, which they were convinced were
that hill of Banda.[128] Behind these hills lay a large tract of land,
stretching east and west, of very great extent, and very uneven. In the
morning of the 7th, they sailed towards these mighty hills, some of
which they found were volcanoes, for which reason they named this
_Vulcan's Island_. It was well inhabited and fall of cocoa-nut trees,
but had no convenient place for anchorage. The inhabitants were naked,
and extremely fearful of the Dutch, and their language so different from
that of all the neighbouring people, that none of the blacks could
understand them. More islands appeared to the N. and N.W. but they
proceeded to a very low island, bearing N.W. by W. which they reached in
the evening. The water here was observed to be of several colours,
green, white, and yellow, perhaps occasioned by the mixture of some
river, as it was far sweeter than ordinary sea water, and was full of
leaves and boughs of trees, on some of which were birds, and even some
crabs.

[Footnote 128: They still had the north-western end of Papua or New
Guinea between them and Banda, from which they were distant at least
twelve degrees of longitude.--E.]

On the 8th, continuing their course W.N.W. having a high island on the
starboard, and another somewhat lower to larboard, they anchored in the
afternoon in 70 fathoms on a good sandy bottom, about a cannon-shot from
the land, at an island in 3 deg. 40' S. which seemed an unhealthy place,
yielding nothing of any value except a little ginger. It was inhabited
by Papuas or blacks, whose ridiculous mode of dress, and their own
natural deformity, made them appear little short of a kind of monsters.
Hardly any of them but had something odd and strange, either in the
bigness or position of their limbs. They had strings of hog's teeth hung
about their necks; their noses were perforated, in which rings were
fastened; their hair was frizled, and their faces very ugly. Their
houses also were extremely s