Sailing from this island westwards, they came on the 18th to another island 20 leagues distant from the last, and extending a considerable way N.W. and S.E.  Dispatching the boat in search of anchorage, a bottom was found near a point of land, in 25 and 40 fathoms, about a musket-shot from the shore, where also was a gentle stream of fresh water.  This news induced them to send back the boat with some casks for water:  But after using much pains to get on shore, and searching in the wood to find a spring, they were frightened away by seeing a savage.  On getting back to their boat, five or six more of the savages came to the shore, but on seeing the Dutch put off they soon retired into the woods.  Although they thus got rid of the savages, they encountered other adversaries of a formidable nature; for they were followed from the woods by innumerable myriads of black flies, so that they came on board absolutely covered with them from head to foot, and the plague of flies began to rage in the ship in a most intolerable manner.  This persecution lasted three or four days, on which account they called this Fly Island,[114] and by the help of a good breeze of wind, they left it as fast as they could.

[Footnote 114:  The next island W. or rather S.W. from Water-land, and nearly at the distance in the text, is now called Palliser’s island.—­E.]

Continuing their course westwards from the 19th of April to the 9th of May, when they were in lat. 15 deg. 20’ S. and estimated their distance from Peru 1510 leagues to the west, they perceived a bark coming towards them, on which they fired a gun or two to make them strike.  But those who were in her, either not understanding the language of cannon, or unwilling to obey, made off as fast as they could; on which the Dutch sent their boat with ten musqueteers to intercept them.  Some of the savages in the bark leapt overboard, and the rest surrendered without resistance, on which the Dutch used them kindly, dressing those that were wounded, and saving the lives of some who had leapt into the sea.  Besides the men, there were eight women and several children, being in all twenty-three, remaining in the bark.  They were a cleanly neat kind of people, of a reddish colour, and entirely naked except the parts of shame.  The men wore their long black curled hair, but that of the women was cut short.

The bark was of a singular figure and construction, consisting of two canoes fastened together, in the midst of each of which were two planks of red wood to keep out the water, and several others went across from one canoe to the other, being made fast and close above, and projected over a good way on each side.  At the end of one of the canoes, on the starboard side, there stood a mast, having a fork at its upper end, where the yard lay; the sail being of mats, and the ropes of that kind of stuff of which fig-frails are made in Spain.  Their only furniture consisted of a few fishing-hooks, the upper part of which was of stone, and the other of bone, tortoise-shell, or mother-of-pearl.  They had no water on board, instead of which they satisfied themselves with the liquor of a few cocoa-nuts; in default of which they drank sea-water, which even the children did heartily.  The Dutch sent them all again on board their vessel, where the women welcomed their husbands with joyful embraces, after which they made away to the south-east.[115]