BY Captain William Dampier.
Having described his voyage from Brazil to New Holland, this celebrated
navigator thus proceeds:
About the latitude of 26 degrees south we saw an opening, and ran in, hoping to
find a harbor there; but when we came to its mouth, which was about two leagues
wide, we saw rocks and foul ground within, and therefore stood out again; there
we had twenty fathom water within two miles of the shore: the land everywhere
appeared pretty low, flat, and even, but with steep cliffs to the sea, and when
we came near it there were no trees, shrubs, or grass to be seen. The soundings
in the latitude of 26 degrees south, from about eight or nine leagues off till
you come within a league of the shore, are generally about forty fathoms,
differing but little, seldom above three or four fathoms; but the lead brings up
very different sorts of sand, some coarse, some fine, and of several colors, as
yellow, white, grey, brown, bluish, and reddish.
When I saw there was no harbor here, nor good anchoring, I stood off to sea
again in the evening of the 2nd of August, fearing a storm on a lee-shore, in a
place where there was no shelter, and desiring at least to have sea-room, for
the clouds began to grow thick in the western-board, and the wind was already
there and began to blow fresh almost upon the shore, which at this place lies
along north-north-west and south-south-east. By nine o’clock at night we got a
pretty good offing, but the wind still increasing, I took in my main-top-sail,
being able to carry no more sail than two courses and the mizen. At two in the
morning, August 3rd, it blew very hard, and the sea was much raised, so that I
furled all my sails but my mainsail, though the wind blew so hard, we had pretty
clear weather till noon, but then the whole sky was blackened with thick clouds,
and we had some rain, which would last a quarter of an hour at a time, and then
it would blow very fierce while the squalls of rain were over our heads, but as
soon as they were gone the wind was by much abated, the stress of the storm
being over; we sounded several times, but had no ground till eight o’clock,
August the 4th, in the evening, and then had sixty fathom water, coral ground.
At ten we had fifty-six fathom, fine sand. At twelve we had fifty-five fathom,
fine sand, of a pale bluish color. It was now pretty moderate weather, yet I
made no sail till morning, but then the wind veering about to the south-west, I
made sail and stood to the north, and at eleven o’clock the next day, August
5th, we saw land again, at about ten leagues distant. This noon we were in
latitude 25 degrees 30 minutes, and in the afternoon our cook died, an old man,
who had been sick a great while, being infirm before we came out of England.
The 6th of August, in the morning, we saw an opening in the land, and we ran
into it, and anchored in seven and a half fathom water, two miles from the
shore, clean sand. It was somewhat difficult getting in here, by reason of many
shoals we met with; but I sent my boat sounding before me. The mouth of this
sound, which I called Shark’s Bay, lies in about 25 degrees south latitude, and
our reckoning made its longitude from the Cape of Good Hope to be about 87
degrees, which is less by one hundred and ninety-five leagues than is usually
laid down in our common draughts, if our reckoning was right and our glasses did
not deceive us. As soon as I came to anchor in this bay, I sent my boat ashore
to seek for fresh water, but in the evening my men returned, having found none.
The next morning I went ashore myself, carrying pickaxes and shovels with me, to
dig for water, and axes to cut wood. We tried in several places for water, but
finding none after several trials, nor in several miles compass, we left any
further search for it, and spending the rest of the day in cutting wood, we went
aboard at night.
The land is of an indifferent height, so that it may be seen nine or ten leagues
off. It appears at a distance very even; but as you come nigher you find there
are many gentle risings, though none steep or high. It is all a steep shore
against the open sea; but in this bay or sound we were now in, the land is low
by the seaside, rising gradually in with the land. The mould is sand by the
seaside, producing a large sort of samphire, which bears a white flower. Farther
in the mould is reddish, a sort of sand, producing some grass, plants, and
shrubs. The grass grows in great tufts as big as a bushel, here and there a
tuft, being intermixed with much heath, much of the kind we have growing on our
commons in England. Of trees or shrubs here are divers sorts, but none above ten
feet high, their bodies about three feet about, and five or six feet high before
you come to the branches, which are bushy, and composed of small twigs there
spreading abroad, though thick set and full of leaves, which were mostly long
and narrow. The color of the leaves was on one side whitish, and on the other
green, and the bark of the trees was generally of the same color with the
leaves, of a pale green. Some of these trees were sweet-scented, and reddish
within the bark, like sassafras, but redder. Most of the trees and shrubs had at
this time either blossoms or berries on them. The blossoms of the different
sorts of trees were of several colors, as red, white, yellow, etc., but mostly
blue, and these generally smelt very sweet and fragrant, as did some also of the
rest. There were also besides some plants, herbs, and tall flowers, some very
small flowers growing on the ground, that were sweet and beautiful, and, for the
most part, unlike any I had seen elsewhere.
There were but few land fowls. We saw none but eagles of the larger sorts of
birds, but five or six sorts of small birds. The biggest sort of these were not
bigger than larks, some no bigger than wrens, all singing with great variety of
fine shrill notes; and we saw some of their nests with young ones in them. The
water-fowls are ducks (which had young ones now, this being the beginning of the
spring in these parts), curlews, galdens, crab-catchers, cormorants, gulls,
pelicans, and some water-fowl, such as I have not seen anywhere besides.
The land animals that we saw here were only a sort of raccoons, different from
those of the West Indies, chiefly as to their legs, for these have very short
forelegs, but go jumping upon them as the others do (and like them are very good
meat), and a sort of guanos, of the same shape and size with other guanos
described, but differing from them in three remarkable particulars; for these
had a larger and uglier head, and had no tail, and at the rump, instead of the
tail there, they had a stump of a tail, which appeared like another head, but
not really such, being without mouth or eyes; yet this creature seemed by this
means to have a head at each end, and, which may be reckoned a fourth
difference, the legs also seemed all four of them to be forelegs, being all
alike in shape and length, and seeming by the joints and bending to be made as
if they were to go indifferently either head or tail foremost. They were
speckled black and yellow like toads, and had scales or knobs on their backs
like those of crocodiles, plated on to the skin, or stuck into it, as part of
the skin. They are very slow in motion, and when a man comes nigh them they will
stand still and hiss, not endeavoring to get away. Their livers are also spotted
black and yellow; and the body, when opened, hath a very unsavory smell. I did
never see such ugly creatures anywhere but here. The guanos I have observed to
be very good meat, and I have often eaten of them with pleasure; but though I
have eaten of snakes, crocodiles, and alligators, and many creatures that look
frightfully enough, and there are but few I should have been afraid to eat of if
pressed by hunger, yet I think my stomach would scarce have served to venture
upon these New Holland guanos, both the looks and the smell of them being so
offensive.
The sea-fish that we saw here (for here was no river, land or pond of fresh
water to be seen) are chiefly sharks. There are abundance of them in this
particular sound, that I therefore gave it the name of Shark’s Bay. Here are
also skates, thornbacks, and other fish of the ray kind (one sort especially
like the sea-devil), and gar-fish, bonetas, etc. Of shell-fish we got here
mussels, periwinkles, limpets, oysters, both of the pearl kind and also eating
oysters, as well the common sort as long oysters, besides cockles, etc. The
shore was lined thick with many other sorts of very strange and beautiful shells
for variety of color and shape, most finely spotted with red, black, or yellow,
etc., such as I have not seen anywhere but at this place. I brought away a great
many of them, but lost all except a very few, and those not of the best.
There are also some green turtle weighing about two hundred pounds. Of these we
caught two, which the water ebbing had left behind a ledge of rock which they
could not creep over. These served all my company two days, and they were
indifferent sweet meat. Of the sharks we caught a great many, which our men ate
very savorily. Among them we caught one which was eleven feet long. The space
between its two eyes was twenty inches, and eighteen inches from one corner of
his mouth to the other. Its maw was like a leather sack, very thick, and so
tough that a sharp knife could scarce cut it, in which we found the head and
bones of a hippopotamus, the hairy lips of which were still sound and not
putrefied, and the jaw was also firm, out of which we plucked a great many
teeth, two of them eight inches long and as big as a man’s thumb, small at one
end, and a little crooked, the rest not above half so long. The maw was full of
jelly, which stank extremely. However, I saved for awhile the teeth and the
shark’s jaw. The flesh of it was divided among my men, and they took care that
no waste should be made of it.
It was the 7th of August when we came into Shark’s Bay, in which we anchored at
three several places, and stayed at the first of them (on the west side of the
bay) till the 11th, during which time we searched about, as I said, for fresh
water, digging wells, but to no purpose. However, we cut good store of firewood
at this first anchoring-place, and my company were all here very well refreshed
with raccoons, turtle, shark, and other fish, and some fowls, so that we were
now all much brisker than when we came in hither. Yet still I was for standing
farther into the bay, partly because I had a mind to increase my stock of fresh
water, which was begun to be low, and partly for the sake of discovering this
part of the coast. I was invited to go further by seeing from this
anchoring-place all open before me, which therefore I designed to search before
I left the bay. So on the 11th about noon I steered further in, with an easy
sail, because we had but shallow water. We kept, therefore, good looking out for
fear of shoals, sometimes shortening, sometimes deepening the water. About two
in the afternoon we saw the land ahead that makes the south of the bay, and
before night we had again sholdings from that shore, and therefore shortened
sail and stood off and on all night, under two top-sails, continually sounding,
having never more than ten fathom, and seldom less than seven. The water
deepened and sholdened so very gently, that in heaving the lead five or six
times we should scarce have a foot difference. When we came into seven fathom
either way, we presently went about. From this south part of the bay we could
not see the land from whence we came in the afternoon; and this land we found to
be an island of three or four leagues long; but it appearing barren, I did not
strive to go nearer it, and the rather because the winds would not permit us to
do it without much trouble, and at the openings the water was generally shoal: I
therefore made no farther attempts in this south-west and south part of the bay,
but steered away to the eastward, to see if there was any land that way, for as
yet we had seen none there. On the 12th, in the morning, we passed by the north
point of that land, and were confirmed in the persuasion of its being an island
by seeing an opening to the east of it, as we had done on the west. Having fair
weather, a small gale, and smooth water, we stood further on in the bay to see
what land was on the east of it. Our soundings at first were seven fathom, which
held so a great while, but at length it decreased to six. Then we saw the land
right ahead. We could not come near it with the ship, having but shoal water,
and it being dangerous lying there, and the land extraordinarily low, very
unlikely to have fresh water (though it had a few trees on it, seemingly
mangroves), and much of it probably covered at high water, I stood out again
that afternoon, deepening the water, and before night anchored in eight fathom,
clean white sand, about the middle of the bay. The next day we got up our
anchor, and that afternoon came to an anchor once more near two islands and a
shoal of coral rocks that face the bay. Here I scrubbed my ship; and finding it
very improbable I should get any further here, I made the best of my way out to
sea again, sounding all the way; but finding, by the shallowness of the water,
that there was no going out to sea to the east of the two islands that face the
bay, nor between them, I returned to the west entrance, going out by the same
way I came in at, only on the east instead of the west side of the small shoal:
in which channel we had ten, twelve, and thirteen fathom water, still deepening
upon us till we were out at sea. The day before we came out I sent a boat ashore
to the most northerly of the two islands, which is the least of them, catching
many small fish in the meanwhile, with hook and line. The boat’s crew returning
told me that the isle produces nothing but a sort of green, short, hard, prickly
grass, affording neither wood nor fresh water, and that a sea broke between the
two islands—a sign that the water was shallow. They saw a large turtle, and many
skates and thornbacks, but caught none.
It was August the 14th when I sailed out of this bay or sound, the mouth of
which lies, as I said, in 25 degrees 5 minutes, designing to coast along to the
north-east till I might commodiously put in at some other port of New Holland.
In passing out we saw three water-serpents swimming about in the sea, of a
yellow color spotted with dark brown spots. They were each about four foot long,
and about the bigness of a man’s wrist, and were the first I saw on this coast,
which abounds with several sorts of them. We had the winds at our first coming
out at north, and the land lying north-easterly. We plied off and on, getting
forward but little till the next day, when the wind coming at south-south-west
and south, we began to coast it along the shore on the northward, keeping at six
or seven leagues off shore, and sounding often, we had between forty and
forty-six fathom water, brown sand with some white shells. This 15th of August
we were in latitude 24 degrees 41 minutes. On the 16th day, at noon, we were in
23 degrees 22 minutes. The wind coming at east by north, we could not keep the
shore aboard, but were forced to go farther off, and lost sight of the land;
then sounding, we had no ground with eighty-fathom line. However, the wind
shortly after came about again to the southward, and then we jogged on again to
the northward, and saw many small dolphins and whales, and abundance of
cuttle-shells swimming on the sea, and some water-snakes every day. The 17th we
saw the land again and took a sight of it.
The 18th, in the afternoon, being three or four leagues off shore, I saw a
shoal-point stretching from the land into the sea a league or more; the sea
broke high on it, by which I saw plainly there was a shoal there. I stood
farther off and coasted along shore to about seven or eight leagues distance,
and at twelve o’clock at night we sounded, and had but twenty fathom, hard sand.
By this I found I was upon another shoal, and so presently steered off west half
an hour, and had then forty fathom. At one in the morning of the 18th day we had
eighty-five fathom; by two we could find no ground, and then I ventured to steer
along shore again due north, which is two points wide of the coast (that lies
north-north-east), for fear of another shoal. I would not be too far off from
the land, being desirous to search into it wherever I should find an opening or
any convenience of searching about for water, etc. When we were off the
shoal-point I mentioned, where we had but twenty fathom water, we had in the
night abundance of whales about the ship, some ahead, others astern, and some on
each side, blowing and making a very dismal noise; but when we came out again
into deeper water, they left us; indeed, the noise that they made by blowing and
dashing of the sea with their tails, making it all of a breach and foam, was
very dreadful to us, like the breach of the waves in very shoal water or among
rocks. The shoal these whales were upon had depth of water sufficient, no less
than twenty fathom, as I said, and it lies in latitude 22 degrees 22 minutes.
The shore was generally bold all along. We had met with no shoal at sea since
the Abrohlo shoal, when we first fell on the New Holland coast in the latitude
of 28 degrees, till yesterday in the afternoon and this night. This morning
also, when we expected by the draught we had with us to have been eleven leagues
off shore, we were but four, so that either our draughts were faulty, which yet
hitherto and afterwards we found true enough as to the lying of the coast, or
else here was a tide unknown to us that deceived us, though we had found very
little of any tide on this coast hitherto; as to our winds in the coasting thus
far, as we had been within the verge of the general trade (though interrupted by
the storm I mentioned), from the latitude of 28 degrees, when we first fell in
with the coast, and by that time we were in the latitude of 25 degrees, we had
usually the regular trade wind (which is here south-south-east) when we were at
any distance from shore; but we had often sea and land breezes, especially when
near shore and when in Shark’s Bay, and had a particular north-west wind or
storm that set us in thither. On this 18th of August we coasted with a brisk
gale of the true trade wind at south-south-east, very fair and clear weather;
but hauling off in the evening to sea, were next morning out of sight of land,
and the land now trending away north-easterly, and we being to the northward of
it, and the wind also shrinking from the south-south-east to the east-south-east
(that is, from the true trade wind to the sea breeze, as the land now lay), we
could not get in with the land again yet awhile so as to see it, though we
trimmed sharp and kept close on a wind. We were this 19th day in latitude 21
degrees 42 minutes. The 20th we were in latitude 19 degrees 37 minutes, and kept
close on a wind to get sight of the land again, but could not yet see it. We had
very fair weather, and though we were so far from the land as to be out of sight
of it, yet we had the sea and land breezes. In the night we had the land breeze
at south-south-east, a small gentle gale, which in the morning about sun-rising
would shift about gradually (and withal increasing in strength) till about noon
we should have it at east-south-east, which is the true sea breeze here. Then it
would blow a brisk gale so that we could scarce carry our top-sails
double-reefed; and it would continue thus till three in the afternoon, when it
would decrease again. The weather was fair all the while, not a cloud to be
seen, but very hazy, especially nigh the horizon. We sounded several times this
20th day, and at first had no ground, but had afterwards from fifty-two to
forty-five fathom, coarse brown sand, mixed with small brown and white stones,
with dints besides in the tallow.
The 21st day also we had small land breezes in the night, and sea breezes in the
day, and as we saw some sea-snakes every day, so this day we saw a great many,
of two different sorts or shapes. One sort was yellow, and about the bigness of
a man’s wrist, about four feet long, having a flat tail about four fingers
broad. The other sort was much smaller and shorter, round, and spotted black and
yellow. This day we sounded several times, and had forty-five fathom, sand. We
did not make the land till noon, and then saw it first from our topmast head; it
bore south-east by east about nine leagues distance, and it appeared like a cape
or head of land. The sea breeze this day was not so strong as the day before,
and it veered out more, so that we had a fair wind to run in with to the shore,
and at sunset anchored in twenty fathom, clean sand, about five leagues from the
Bluff point, which was not a cape (as it appeared at a great distance), but the
easternmost end of an island about five or six leagues in length, and one in
breadth. There were three or four rocky islands about a league from us, between
us and the Bluff point, and we saw many other islands both to the east and west
of it, as far as we could see either way from our topmast-head, and all within
them to the south there was nothing but islands of a pretty height, that may be
seen eight or nine leagues off; by what we saw of them they must have been a
range of islands of about twenty leagues in length, stretching from
east-north-east to west-south-west, and, for aught I know, as far as to those of
Shark’s Bay, and to a considerable breadth also, for we could see nine or ten
leagues in among them, towards the continent or mainland of New Holland, if
there be any such thing hereabouts; and by the great tides I met with awhile
afterwards, more to the north-east, I had a strong suspicion that here might be
a kind of archipelago of islands, and a passage possibly to the south of New
Holland and New Guinea into the great South Sea eastward, which I had thoughts
also of attempting in my return from New Guinea, had circumstances permitted,
and told my officers so; but I would not attempt it at this time, because we
wanted water, and could not depend upon finding it there. This place is in the
latitude of 20 degrees 21 minutes, but in the draught that I had of this coast,
which was Tasman’s, it was laid down in 19 degrees 50 minutes, and the shore is
laid down as all along joining in one body or continent, with some openings
appearing like rivers, and not like islands as really they are. This place lies
more northerly by 40 minutes than is laid down in Mr. Tasman’s draught, and
besides its being made a firm continued land, only with some openings like the
mouths of rivers, I found the soundings also different from what the pricked
line of his course shows them, and generally shallower than he makes them, which
inclines me to think that he came not so near the shore as his line shows, and
so had deeper soundings, and could not so well distinguish the islands. His
meridian or difference of longitude from Shark’s Bay agrees well enough with my
account, which is two hundred and thirty-two leagues, though we differ in
latitude; and to confirm my conjecture that the line of his course is made too
near the shore, at least not far to the east of this place, the water is there
so shallow that he could not come there so nigh.
But to proceed. In the night we had a small land breeze, and in the morning I
weighed anchor, designing to run in among the islands, for they had large
channels between them of a league wide at least, and some two or three leagues
wide. I sent in my boat before to sound, and if they found shoal water to return
again, but if they found water enough to go ashore on one of the islands and
stay till the ship came in, where they might in the meantime search for water.
So we followed after with the ship, sounding as we went in, and had twenty
fathom till within two leagues of the Bluff head, and then we had shoal water
and very uncertain soundings; yet we ran in still with an easy sail, sounding
and looking out well, for this was dangerous work. When we came abreast of the
Bluff head, and about two miles from it, we had but seven fathom, then we edged
away from it, but had no more water, and running in a little farther we had but
four fathoms, so we anchored immediately; and yet when we had veered out a third
of a cable, we had seven fathom water again, so uncertain was the water. My boat
came immediately on board, and told me that the island was very rocky and dry,
and they had little hopes of finding water there. I sent them to sound, and bade
them, if they found a channel of eight or ten fathom water, to keep on, and we
would follow with the ship. We were now about four leagues within the outer
small rocky islands, but still could see nothing but islands within us, some
five or six leagues long, others not above a mile round. The large islands were
pretty high, but all appeared dry, and mostly rocky and barren. The rocks looked
of a rusty yellow color, and therefore I despaired of getting water on any of
them, but was in some hopes of finding a channel to run in beyond all these
islands, could I have spent time here, and either got to the main of New Holland
or find out some other islands that might afford us water and other
refreshments; besides that among so many islands we might have found some sort
of rich mineral, or ambergris, it being a good latitude for both these. But we
had not sailed above a league farther before our water grew shoaler again, and
then we anchored in six fathom, hard sand.
We were now on the inner side of the island, on whose outside is the Bluff
point. We rode a league from the island, and I presently went ashore and carried
shovels to dig for water, but found none. There grow here two or three sorts of
shrubs, one just like rosemary, and therefore I called this Rosemary Island; it
grew in great plenty here, but had no smell. Some of the other shrubs had blue
and yellow flowers; and we found two sorts of grain like beans; the one grew on
bushes, the other on a sort of creeping vine that runs along on the ground,
having very thick broad leaves, and the blossom like a bean blossom, but much
larger and of a deep red color, looking very beautiful. We saw here some
cormorants, gulls, crab-catchers, etc., a few small land birds, and a sort of
white parrots, which flew a great many together. We found some shell-fish, viz.,
limpets, periwinkles, and abundance of small oysters growing on the rocks, which
were very sweet. In the sea we saw some green turtle, many sharks, and abundance
of water-snakes of several sorts and sizes. The stones were all of rusty color,
and ponderous.
We saw a smoke on an island three or four leagues off, and here also the bushes
had been burned, but we found no other sign of inhabitants. It was probable that
on the island where the smoke was there were inhabitants, and fresh water for
them. In the evening I went aboard, and consulted with my officers whether it
was best to send thither, or to search among any other of these islands with my
boat, or else go from hence and coast along shore with the ship, till we could
find some better place than this was to ride in, where we had shoal water and
lay exposed to winds and tides. They all agreed to go from hence, so I gave
orders to weigh in the morning as soon as it should be light, and to get out
with the land breeze.
Accordingly, August 23rd, at five in the morning, we ran out, having a pretty
fresh land breeze at south-south-east. By eight o’clock we were got out, and
very seasonably, for before nine the sea breeze came on us very strong, and
increasing, we took in our top-sails and stood off under two courses and a
mizen, this being as much sail as we could carry. The sky was clear, there being
not one cloud to be seen, but the horizon appeared very hazy, and the sun at
setting the night before, and this morning at rising, appeared very red. The
wind continued very strong till twelve, then it began to abate; I have seldom
met with a stronger breeze. These strong sea breezes lasted thus in their turns
three or four days. They sprang up with the sunrise; by nine o’clock they were
very strong, and so continued till noon, when they began to abate; and by sunset
there was little wind, or a calm, till the land breezes came, which we should
certainly have in the morning about one or two o’clock. The land breezes were
between the south-south-west and south-south-east: the sea breezes between the
east-north-east and north-north-east. In the night while calm, we fished with
hook and line, and caught good store of fish viz., snappers, breams, old-wives,
and dog-fish. When these last came we seldom caught any others; for it they did
not drive away the other fish, yet they would be sure to keep them from taking
our hooks, for they would first have them themselves, biting very greedily. We
caught also a monk-fish, of which I brought home the picture.
On the 25th of August we still coasted along shore, that we might the better see
any opening; kept sounding, and had about twenty fathom, clean sand. The 26th
day, being about four leagues off shore, the water began gradually to sholden
from twenty to fourteen fathom. I was edging in a little towards the land,
thinking to have anchored; but presently after the water decreased almost at
once, till we had but five fathom. I durst, therefore, adventure no farther, but
steered out the same way that we came in, and in a short time had ten fathom
(being then about four leagues and a half from the shore), and even soundings. I
steered away east-north-east, coasting along as the land lies. This day the sea
breezes began to be very moderate again, and we made the best of our way along
shore, only in the night edging off a little for fear of shoals. Ever since we
left Shark’s Bay we had fair clear weather, and so for a great while still.
Early Australian Voyages, 1886, John Pinkerton |
