Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 1 (Stockdale).djvu/453

] Kisser island, extending from S. to E. ¼ S.E. It is very mountainous, especially on the western side. Its greatest dimension is from W.S.W. to E.N.E. It is situated in 8° 13′ 2″ south latitude and 123° 32′ 17″ east longitude.

Dark weather prevented us, till about three o'clock P.M. from seeing the north side of the island of Timor, although our distance from it was then but about 5,000 toises. Its lofty mountains rose above the clouds, and during the night we had observed, fires at different elevations, on their sides. Doubtless the inhabitants, at those altitudes, find it comfortable to correct by fires the cold air of the night, and perhaps also they may use them to fray away the wild beasts. Those fires served as so many light-houses to direct our course along shore, when some gentle breezes interrupted the calm which prevailed for a great part of the night.

24th. About seven in the morning, we were within 2,500 toises of Laphao, a little Portuguese settlement, on the west side of Timor, in lat. 9° 22′ 45″ S. and long. 122° 23′ 36″ E.

The Portuguese flag hoisted there, bore S. 30° E. They saluted us with five guns. A canoe with a double outrigger, immediately came off to view our ships, to which it very nearly approached; but