king animal
that creeps the ground, and its bite is mortal. It is about a foot and a
half long, and seems a production between the toad and lizard. At stated
periods it makes a noise exactly like a cuckoo clock. Even the natives
fly from it with the utmost horror. The alligators are daring and
numerous. There are instances of their devouring men and children when
bathing in the shallow part of the river above the town.

The Governor, Mynheer Vanion, relates a circumstance that happened to him
while hunting. In crossing a shallow part of the river, his black boy was
snapped up by an alligator; but the Governor immediately dismounted,
rescued the boy out of his mouth, and slew him.

The natives of Timor are subject to a cutaneous disease during their
infancy, something similar to the small pox, but of longer duration. It
seldom terminates fatally, and only seizes them once in their
lives.[165-1]

On the 6th of October, we embarked on board the Rembang Dutch Indiaman,
taking with us the prisoners and convicts. Our crew became very sickly in
passing the Straits of Alice [Allas]. We had frequent calms and sultry
weather until the 12th. In passing the island of Flores, a most
tremendous storm arose. In a few minutes every sail of the ship was
shivered to pieces; the pumps all choaked, and useless; the leak gaining
fast upon us; and she was driving down, with all the impetuosity
imaginable, on a savage shore, about seven miles under our lee. This
storm was attended with the most dreadful thunder and lightning we had
ever experienced. The Dutch seamen were struck with horror, and went
below; and the ship was preserved from destruction by the manly exertion
of our English tars, whose souls seemed to catch redoubled ardour from
the tempest's rage. Indeed it is only in these trying moments of
distress, when the abyss of destruction is yawning to receive them, that
the transcendent worth of a British seaman is most conspicuous. Nor would
I wish, from what I have observed above, to throw any stigma on the
Dutch, who I believe would fight the devil, should he appear in any other
shape to them but that of thunder and lightning.

It may be remarked, that the Straits of Alice are not so dangerous as
those of Sapy [Sapi], and are for many reasons preferable; but it is so
intricate a navigation that a Dutchman bound from Timor to Batavia,
after beating about for twelve months, found himself exactly where he
first started from.

On t