Mr Banks and Dr Solander went ashore upon the island, which they found not to be more than five hundred yards long, and one hundred broad; yet there was a house upon it, and a small plantation, where among other things was the Palma Christi, from which the caster-oil is made in the West Indies:[117] they made a small addition to their collection of plants, and shot a bat, whose wings when extended measured three feet from point to point:  They shot also four plovers, which exactly resembled the golden plover of England.  Soon after they returned, a small Indian boat came along-side with two Malays on board, who brought three turtles, some dried fish, and a few pumpkins:  We bought the turtle, which altogether weighed a hundred and forty-six pounds, for a dollar, and considering that we had lately paid the Dutchman a dollar for one that weighed only six-and-thirty pounds, we thought we had a good bargain.  The seller appeared equally satisfied, and we then treated with him for his pumpkins, for which he was very unwilling to take any money but a dollar; we said that a whole dollar was greatly too much; to which he readily assented, but desired that we would cut one and give him a part:  At last, however, a fine shining Portuguese petack tempted him, and for that he sold us his whole stock of pumpkins, being in number twenty-six.  At parting, he made signs that we should not tell at Batavia that any boat had been aboard us.

[Footnote 117:  The Ricinus Communis:  The oil is obtained from the seeds, either by expression or decoction.—­E.]

We were not able to weather Polo Pare this day, but getting the land-wind at south about ten o’clock at night, we weighed and stood to the E.S.E. all night.  At ten in the morning, we anchored again, to wait for the sea-breeze; and at noon it sprung up at N.N.E. with which we stood in for Batavia road, where at four o’clock in the afternoon we came to an anchor.

We found here the Harcourt Indiaman from England, two English private traders of that country, thirteen sail of large Dutch ships, and a considerable number of small vessels.

A boat came immediately on board from a ship which had a broad pendant flying, and the officer who commanded having enquired who we were, and whence we came, immediately returned with such answers as we thought fit to give him:  Both he and his people were pale as spectres a sad presage of our sufferings in so unhealthy a country; but our people, who, except Tupia, were all rosy and plump seemed to think themselves so seasoned by various-climates that nothing could hurt them.[118] In the mean time, I sent a lieutenant ashore to acquaint the governor of our arrival and to make an excuse for our not saluting; for as I could salute with only three guns, except the swivels, which I was of opinion would not be heard, I thought it was better to let it alone.  As soon as the boat was dispatched, the carpenter delivered me an account of the defects of the ship, of which the following is a copy: