sland.

Not wishing to have anything more to do with such people, Captain
Schouten ordered the anchor to be weighed, and the _Unity_ stood towards
another island about thirty leagues off, where he hoped to be more
fortunate in obtaining refreshments. As the ship approached the island
the boat was sent along the shore to sound, for the purpose of
discovering good anchorage ground.

While the ship was standing off the shore about a dozen canoes came off,
bringing a small quantity of flying-fish. These the natives willingly
exchanged for beads; but Captain Schouten, deeming it unwise to allow
them to come alongside, ordered them under the stern, when the exchange
was made by means of a rope, the beads being let down and the fish
hauled up. The savages, having disposed of their fish, paddled away for
the _Unity's_ boat, which was engaged in sounding. Getting up to her,
they suddenly made an attempt to board, but their intention being
perceived, they were met with so warm a reception from the Dutchmen's
guns, pikes, and cutlasses, that two were killed, and the rest were glad
to hurry away as fast as they could.

The shores of this island were composed of black cliffs with green
summits, and numbers of cocoa-nut-trees growing on them. Several huts
were seen scattered about, and at one place there was a large village,
close to a shelving beach.

As no convenient anchorage was found, Captain Schouten now stood away to
the south-west, hoping to discover the great southern land of which he
was in search.

At length, however, on the 18th of May, being in latitude 16 degrees 5
minutes south, and at least one thousand six hundred leagues westward of
the coast of Peru, without having seen any signs of a continent, Captain
Schouten called his officers together, and observed that if they
continued on their present course they would reach the southern side of
New Guinea, and that if they were unable to find a passage beyond that
country, either to the west or north, they would inevitably be lost, as
it would be impossible for them to get back, in consequence of the east
winds which prevailed in those seas. He proposed, therefore, that they
should now alter their course to the northward, so as to fall in with
the north side of New Guinea.

Had he continued on he would have fallen in with the group of islands
now called the New Hebrides, and afterwards probably have become the
discoverer of New South Wales, and perhaps have m