Page:Journal of the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks.djvu/414

356 might be true I dare not take upon myself to determine; all I shall say is that during our stay we saw no signs either of a warlike disposition or such formidable arms. Of spears and targets, indeed, there were about a hundred in the Dutch house, the largest of which spears served to arm the people who came down to intimidate us; but so little did these doughty heroes think of fighting, or indeed keeping up appearances, that instead of a target each was furnished with a cock, some tobacco, or something of that kind, which he took this opportunity of bringing down to sell. Their spears seem all to have been brought to them by Europeans, the refuse of old armouries, no two being anything near the same length, varying in that particular from six feet to sixteen. As for their lances, not one of us saw one. Their muskets, though clean on the outside, were honeycombed with rust on the inside. Few or none of their cartridge-boxes had either powder or ball in them. To complete all, the swivels and patereroes at the Dutch house were all lying out of their carriages; and the one great gun which lay before it on a heap of stones was not only more honeycombed with rust than any piece of artillery I have ever seen, but had the touch-hole turned downwards, probably to conceal its size, which might not be in all probability much less than the bore of the gun itself. The Dutch, however, use these islanders as auxiliaries in their wars against the inhabitants of Timor, where they do good service; their lives at all events not being nearly so valuable as those of the Dutchmen.

This island was settled by the Portuguese almost as soon as they went into these seas. When the Dutch first came here the Portuguese, however, were very soon wormed out by the machinations of the artful new-comers, who not only attempted to settle themselves in the island, but also sent sloops occasionally to trade with the natives, by whom they were often cut off; as often, I suppose, as they cheated them in too great a degree. This, however, and the probably increasing value of the island, at last tempted them to try some other way of securing it, and running less risk. This