derable time, which, became great favourites with the sailors, and,
thinking that a breed of animals of such strength and size, some of them
weighing, when dressed, seven hundred pounds weight, would be a valuable
acquisition, I was inclined to have brought them with me to England; but my
intention was frustrated by an incurable hurt that one of them received at
sea.[109]

It was not till the 28th, that the buffaloes were all got on board;
however, there was no reason to regret the time taken up by this service,
since, in the interim, two wells of excellent water had been discovered, of
which, as also of wood, part of the ships' companies had been employed in
laying in a good supply; so that a shorter stop would be necessary, for
replenishing our stock of these articles in the Strait of Sunda. A party
had likewise been occupied in drawing the seine, at the head of the
harbour, where they took a great many good fish; and another party, in
cutting down the cabbage palm, which was boiled and served out with the
meat. Besides this, having been able to procure only a scanty supply of
cordage at Macao, the repairing of our rigging was become an object of
constant attention, and demanded all our spare time.

Pulo-Condore is high and mountainous, and surrounded by several smaller
islands, some of which are less than one, and others two miles distant. It
takes its name from two Malay words, _Pulo_, signifying an island, and
_Condore_, a calabash, of which it produces great quantities. It is of the
form of a crescent, extending near eight miles from the southernmost point,
in a N.E. direction; but its breadth nowhere exceeds two miles. From the
westernmost extremity, the land trends to the S.E. for about four miles;
and opposite to this part of the coast there is an island, called, by
Monsieur D'Apres,[110] _Little Condore_, which runs two miles in the same
direction. This position of the two islands affords a safe and commodious
harbour, the entrance into which is from the N.W. The distance between the
two opposite coasts is three quarters of a mile, exclusive of a border of
coral rock, which runs down along each side, extending about one hundred
yards from the shore. The anchorage is very good, from eleven to five
fathoms water, but the bottom is so soft and clayey, that we found great
difficulty in weighing our anchors. Toward the bottom of the harbour there
is shallow water for about half a mile, beyond which the two islands