II.—Translation of Extracts from the 'Journal of the Wonderful Voyage made by W. Cornelis Schouten of Hoorn, 1615-17, in the ship Eendracht (Unity)': 1648, Hoorn (with Plates), relating to the discovery of Niua-tobutabu and Futuna.

May.—On the 9th we were in latitude 15° 20', and by reckoning 1510 miles from the coast of Peru and Chili. At noon, just after dinner, we saw a sail, which seemed to be coming towards us from the southward. As she came near to us we shot at her with one of our pieces right over her to make them strike, but they would not; so then we lowered our boat with ten smallarms men in her to catch them, which, calling to them, we shot another piece, yet without any intent to reach or hurt them, but they would not strike.

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When at-about half a musket-shot's distance from them our men fired four times at them. Some jumped into the water, one of them with a small child. We hauled one out of the water, and another was hurt, and had three holes in his back, but not very deep, for it was hail-shot. In our vessel we secured two men who had overstayed on board the canoe, they not once resisting, for in truth they had no arms. One was an old and grey man, the other was a youth.

Presently the shallop rowed to fetch those that leapt overboard to save their lives; but they got only two of them that drove upon one of their oars, and pointed to our men with their hands to the ground, as much as to say that the rest were drowned.

In the canoe were eight women with three young sucking children, and some were about ten years old, so that altogether there may have been about twenty-five people in the canoe.

Towards evening we put the men aboard again, and they were much welcomed by their women. We gave them some beads, which they hung about their necks, and some knives. And to us they presented two fine mats and two cocoa-nuts, which were all they had to eat and drink. In fact they had drunk all the water of the nuts, so that there remained nothing more to them to drink. We saw them drink salt water out of the sea, and give it also to their young children to drink, which we thought to be against nature. They were reddish people, and had certain clothes of a yellowish colour which they wore before their persons. They were smeared with oil, and the women had all short hair, like the men in Holland. The men's hair was long and frizzed, and very black.

Their vessel was fashioned as shown in the drawing—very remarkable to see—and consisted of two long canoes covered by a good broad table. Along each canoe were laid two wide planks, about the midship portion, to keep out the water; and at either end timbers were laid crosswise from the one hull to the other, securely lashed, and the ends were also decked over in a watertight fashion. [Further description of mast and steer-page 398ing-gear.] As they departed from us they set their course towards the south-east, in the hopes of picking up some of the others, who were good swimmers.

On the 10th the wind was S.S.—easterly, veering from S.E. to S. The course was W. and S.W.; and in the morning, after breakfast, we saw [on the horizon?] some very high and blue-looking land lying between S.E. and S., about eight miles from us. We sailed all day towards it with a light air, but were unable to get within reach, so stood off and on for the night; and towards evening we saw a sail a good way out off the land, and shortly after another one, which we took to be fishing craft, because they put to sea at night time and used torches.

On the 11th we arrived by mid-day at an island which was very high; and about two miles beyond it we saw another island, long and low. During the day we sailed over a bank with fourteen fathoms water on it, rocky bottom, lying about two miles off the land. As soon as we had passed over it we were unable again to get soundings. We anchored in twenty-five fathoms, sandy bottom, a long shot from the shore of the farther island.

The island is a high mountain, shaped nearly like one of the Moluccas, and is covered with timber, mostly cocoa-nut palms, wherefore we called it Cocos Island.

The other island is much longer, but narrower, and lies east and west….

[Intercourse with the people followed readily, and great numbers swarmed on board the ship. They traded freely, and sold 180 cocoa-nuts by evening, at the rate of 5 nuts for a few beads.]

Canoes from the other island came off to the ship. The natives had hardwood staves in their hands like assegais. They boarded our shallop, and thought to have taken it from us; but our men being thereby constrained to defend themselves, let fly, three muskets among them. At first they thought this was child's play; but the third shot struck one of them in the page 399breast, and they fled to one of the canoes with sails and tried to persuade them to attack, but they would not, having been well used by us. They were very thievish and exceedingly desirous of iron, trying to draw the bolts out of the ship. They were of fine stature, well-proportioned, naked but for an apron. Their hair was dressed and frizzed, and some had long hair tied up in a knot. They were notable swimmers. Cocos Island lies in lat. 16°10'.

On the 12th, in the morning, trading was reopened. We bought 1200 nuts that day; also bananas, obas [yams], and some water. The ship had eighty-five people all told on board, and every one had a dozen nuts. The king of the other island sent a canoe with a black wild pig as a present to us. In the afternoon the chief himself came with a great sailing canoe, fashioned as has been described heretofore, like an ice-sled, and was accompanied by quite thirty-five small canoes. This chief was called by his people Latou.¹ "We received him with drums and trumpets, no little to his astonishment, as he had not seen or heard these instruments before. Many of the people who accompanied this chief kissed our feet, bowing and clapping their fists together over their heads, and other strange ceremonies, and showed great wonderment at our ship. The chief seemed to have good authority over his people. The chief himself could not be induced to come on board our ship, but his son did.

13th.—In the morning fully forty-five small canoes and an armada of twenty-three sailing ones came off towards us to trade. The latter had about twenty-five men in each, and the former four and five apiece. They wanted us to sail over to the other island, and we weighed anchor and proceeded—the chief sailing in his canoe abreast of us.

Presently the chief made a signal, and boarded us with great force, breaking the prow of his canoe, and thereat the rest began page 400to sling stones at us; but we shot at them with muskets and three great pieces loaded with nails, whereat they leaped overboard, not knowing whither to go. But we continued our course, sailing W. and W. by S. This king must have assembled all his forces, for we were surrounded by quite 1000 people afloat, of whom one we noticed was wholly white.

The first island—the high one—we called Cocos bergh, and to the other, about a mile from it, we gave the name of Verraders Eylandt, because the people from it sought to betray us.

[Discovery of Niuafoou.]

14th.—This morning we saw another island right ahead of us, about seven miles distant, appearing as if round in form, and by our reckoning about fifty miles from the islands we had left. We named this one "Hope," and hurried towards it, in the hope that we might find better facilities for watering there than we had hitherto.

… The soundings were irregular, forty, twenty, thirty fathoms, and no bottom…. Twelve canoes came off: were friendly. They gave us four flying-fish, and we gave them beads. Sent the boat along shore for water: some jumped overboard from canoes to capture the boat, which seeing, we fired six musket-shots at them, and two were killed, one shot dead, while the other sat in the canoe wiping the blood from his chest with his hand. They could not understand the shooting, for they saw no missile. The people on shore cried out Bou! bou! bou! So did people in the canoes. Finding no anchorage, we got our boat in and went on our course, in the hope of soon finding other land, to the S.W.

The island was full of black cliffs, green on the top, and black, and was full of cocos … trees and black earth. There was a large village and several other houses on the sea-shore: the land was undulating, but not very high. We called it Good Hope, because we had had good hope of refreshing there.

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15th.—At noon we were in 86° 12' [misprint for 16° 12']: the wind being S.E., course W. and W. by S., fine weather.

17th.—Wind N.E., course W. by S., but the two last quarters we set our course W.N.W. Short of provisions.

18th.—In 16° 5' we had variable westerly winds.

[On this day Schouten reviewed his position and prospects, and spoke to his crew, pointing out the shortness of food, and the impossibility of returning eastwards. The Terra Australie, of which they were in search, had not appeared, though they were 1600 miles to the westward of the coast of Peru. It remained only to steer more northerly and make for the Moluccas, braving the dangers of the New Guinea navigation, and making the best of their ill luck. The course was therefore altered to N.N.W.]

[Discovery of Futuna.]

19th.—Southerly wind. Course N. In the afternoon saw three islands to the N.E. by E., eight miles distant, and apparently a cannon-shot from each other. Made for them, sailing N.E., with fine weather, but fresh.

20th.—Wind N.N.E.

21st.—Wind easterly. When one mile from the land twenty canoes came out to us. We proffered friendliness, but one with a very sharp wooden spear in his hand threatened one of our men, and the people from the next island were shouting, as we took it, to urge them against us. Fired two cannon-shots. Sent boat out to sound, but got no bottom, eight small-arms men in her. A fight ensued, and six were killed. Stood off and on all night.

22d.—Sent the boat in to sound again, and got anchorage in thirty-five fathoms, a gun-shot from shore. The Captain went in the boat and got a convenient place for the ship to moor in, close to a fresh-water creek inside the reef. Canoes came and brought cocoa-nuts, and obas, and two roast pigs. We paid them in page 402knives, beads, and nails. We sent four of our men to be hostages on shore, and kept some of the people in the ship. These people were very active, swam and dived with great skill, like those we met with at the other islands. There were round huts along the beach, thatched, about 25 feet in circumference, and 12 feet in height, with a doorway….

[The Journal contains the earliest published description of the drinking of kava, which coincides with the present ceremony. Peace was established, visits of ceremony paid, and cordial relations maintained. These islands lie in 14° 56', and were named Hoorense Eylanden = Hoorn Island or Futuna.]

Summary as to the Plates reproduced in the Text.

Plate on p. 312 shows the meeting with a native canoe at sea, off the islands they called Cocos (Niua-tobutabu), which lay just out of sight to their S.W.

Plate on p. 310 shows the islands in question, which they sighted the morning after meeting with the canoe, but failed to reach until the following day—i.e., Cocos and Verraders Islands: lat. 16° 10'. Here the ship's company had a collision with the natives. The chief's name was Latou.

Plate on p. 311. This is a plate which represents several subjects described in the text all in one picture. The two chiefs are shown twice over, and the large, figures on the left are introduced to illustrate the descriptions of various forms of headdress. The trumpeters from the ship are blowing and the drummer beating, the four or five standing figures on the outside of the shed, to the left of the two chiefs sitting under it, are making kava, and the chiefs themselves conversing, all at once. The round or conical huts to the right are introduced merely as types of dwellings.

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Explanation of Plate on p. 311.

• A. Meeting of the two chiefs, welcoming one another with remarkable ceremony.
• B. The same two chiefs sitting in state together on two mats under a thatched shed.
• C. Our trumpeters and drummer playing before the chiefs, from which they derived great satisfaction (or took, as a great compliment).
• D. Commoners chewing a green root called by them kava. When it is chewed up water is added to it, and thus a drink is made from it, which is greatly esteemed by them.
• E. Shows the fashion of the houses. They are round and pointed, and covered with thatch.
• F. Shows the costume of a chief, and coiffure.
• G. Shows the plaits of hair worn by chiefs.
• H. Shows an instance of frizzed hair.
• I. Another, whose hair stands up stiff like the bristles of a pig, more than a quarter of an ell long.
• K. Shows how the women wear their hair cut short.
• L. Are cocoa-nut palms.

[Appendix III.

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