d not with safety venture nearer
that side, it being a lee shore. Besides, my boat was on the east side of
the Timor coast; for the other was, as I found afterwards, the Anabao
shore; and the great opening I was now in was the strait between that
island and Timor; towards which I now tacked and stood over. Taking up my
boat therefore I ran under the Timor side, and at 3 o'clock anchored in
29 fathom, half a mile from the shore. That part of the south-west point
of Timor where we anchored in the morning bore now south by west,
distance 3 leagues: and another point of the island bore
north-north-east, distance 2 leagues.

A DUTCH FORT, CALLED CONCORDIA. THEIR SUSPICION OF THE AUTHOR.

Not long after, we saw a sloop coming about the point last mentioned,
with Dutch colours; which I found, upon sending my boat aboard, belonged
to a Dutch fort (the only one they have in Timor) about 5 leagues from
hence, called Concordia. The governor of the fort was in the sloop, and
about 40 soldiers with him. He appeared to be somewhat surprised at our
coming this way; which it seems is a passage scarce known to any but
themselves; as he told the men I sent to him in my boat. Neither did he
seem willing that we should come near their fort for water. He said also
that he did not know of any water on all that part of the island, but
only at the fort; and that the natives would kill us if they met us
ashore. By the small arms my men carried with them in the boat they took
us to be pirates, and would not easily believe the account my men gave
them of what we were and whence we came. They said that about 2 years
before this there had been a stout ship of French pirates here; and that
after having been suffered to water, and to refresh themselves, and been
kindly used, they had on a sudden gone among the Indians, subjects of the
fort, and plundered them and burnt their houses. And the Portuguese here
told us afterwards that those pirates, whom they also had entertained,
had burnt their houses and had taken the Dutch fort (though the Dutch
cared not to own so much) and had driven the governor and factory among
the wild Indians their enemies. The Dutch told my men further that they
could not but think we had of several nations (as is usual with pirate
vessels) in our ship and particularly some Dutchmen, though all the
discourse was in French (for I had not one who could speak Dutch) or
else, since the common charts make no passage between Timor a