we should come near their fort for water.  He said also that he did not know of any water on all that part of the island, but only at the fort; and that the natives would kill us if they met us ashore.  By the small arms my men carried with them in the boat they took us to be pirates, and would not easily believe the account my men gave them of what we were and whence we came.  They said that about 2 years before this there had been a stout ship of French pirates here; and that after having been suffered to water, and to refresh themselves, and been kindly used, they had on a sudden gone among the Indians, subjects of the fort, and plundered them and burnt their houses.  And the Portuguese here told us afterwards that those pirates, whom they also had entertained, had burnt their houses and had taken the Dutch fort (though the Dutch cared not to own so much) and had driven the governor and factory among the wild Indians their enemies.  The Dutch told my men further that they could not but think we had of several nations (as is usual with pirate vessels) in our ship and particularly some Dutchmen, though all the discourse was in French (for I had not one who could speak Dutch) or else, since the common charts make no passage between Timor and Anabao, but lay down both as one island; they said they suspected we had plundered some Dutch ship of their particular charts, which they are forbid to part with.

With these jealousies the sloop returned towards their fort, and my boat came back with this news to me:  but I was not discouraged at this news; not doubting but I should persuade them better when I should come to talk with them.  So the next morning I weighed and stood towards the fort.  The winds were somewhat against us so that we could not go very fast, being obliged to tack 2 or 3 times:  and, coming near the farther end of the passage between Timor and Anabao, we saw many houses on each side not far from the sea, and several boats lying by the shore.  The land on both sides was pretty high, appearing very dry and of a reddish colour, but highest on the Timor side.  The trees on either side were but small, the woods thin, and in many places the trees were dry and withered.

The island Anabao described.

The island Anamabao, or Anabao, is not very big, not exceeding 10 leagues in length and 4 in breadth; yet it has 2 kingdoms in it, namely that of Anamabao on the east side towards Timor and the north-east end; and that of Anabao, which contains the south-west end and the west side of the island; but I known not which of them is biggest.  The natives of both are of the Indian kind, of a swarthy copper-colour, with black lank hair.  Those of Anamabao are in league with the Dutch, as these afterwards told me, and with the natives of the kingdom of Kupang in Timor, over against them, in which the Dutch fort Concordia stands:  but they are said to be inveterate enemies to their neighbours of Anabao.  Those of Anabao,