Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
XXXIV
New Guinea—Dorey
(
MARCH TO JULY
1858)
After my return from Gilolo to Ternate, in March 1858, I made arrangements for my long-
wished-for voyage to the mainland of New Guinea, where I anticipated that my collections
would surpass those which I had formed at the Aru Islands. The poverty of Ternate in articles
used by Europeans was shown, by my searching in vain through all the stores for such com-
mon things as flour, metal spoons, wide-mouthed phials, beeswax, a penknife, and a stone or
metal pestle and mortar. I took with me four servants: my head man Ali, and a Ternate lad
named Jumaat (Friday), to shoot; Lahagi, a steady middle-aged man, to cut timber and assist
me in insect-collecting; and Loisa, a Javanese cook. As I knew I should have to build a house
at Dorey, where I was going, I took with me eighty cadjans, or waterproof mats, made of
pandanus leaves, to cover over my baggage on first landing, and to help to roof my house af-
terwards.
We started on the 25th of March in the schooner
Hester Helena
, belonging to my friend
Mr. Duivenboden, and bound on a trading voyage along the north coast of New Guinea. Hav-
ing calms and light airs, we were three days reaching Gané, near the south end of Gilolo,
where we stayed to fill up our water-casks and buy a few provisions. We obtained fowls,
eggs, sago, plantains, sweet potatoes, yellow pumpkins, chilies, fish, and dried deer's meat;
and on the afternoon of the 29th proceeded on our voyage to Dorey harbour. We found it,
however, by no means easy to get along; for so near to the equator the monsoons entirely fail
of their regularity, and after passing the southern point of Gilolo we had calms, light puffs of
wind, and contrary currents, which kept us for five days in sight of the same islands between
it and Poppa. A squall then brought us on to the entrance of Dampier's Straits, where we
were again becalmed, and were three more days creeping through them. Several native ca-
noes now came off to us from Waigiou on one side, and Batanta on the other, bringing a few
common shells, palm-leaf mats, cocoa-nuts, and pumpkins. They were very extravagant in
