Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
On the 25th we drifted out to the middle of the channel, but made no progress onward. In
the afternoon we sailed and rowed to the south end of Kaióa, and by midnight reached the
village. I determined to stay here a few days to rest and recruit, and in hopes of getting bet-
ter weather. I bought some onions and other vegetables, and plenty of eggs, and my men
baked fresh sago cakes. I went daily to my old hunting-ground in search of insects, but with
very poor success. It was now wet, squally weather, and there appeared a stagnation of in-
sect life. We stayed five days, during which time twelve persons died in the village, mostly
from simple intermittent fever, of the treatment of which the natives are quite ignorant. Dur-
ing the whole of this voyage I had suffered greatly from sun-burnt lips, owing to having ex-
posed myself on deck all day to look after our safety among the shoals and reefs near Wai-
giou. The salt in the air so affected them that they would not heal, but became excessively
painful, and bled at the slightest touch, and for a long time it was with great difficulty I
could eat at all, being obliged to open my mouth very wide, and put in each mouthful with
the greatest caution. I kept them constantly covered with ointment, which was itself very
disagreeable, and they caused me almost constant pain for more than a month, as they did
not get well till I had returned to Ternate, and was able to remain a week indoors.
A boat which left for Ternate the day after we arrived, was obliged to return the next day,
on account of bad weather. On the 31st we went out to the anchorage at the mouth of the
harbour, so as to be ready to start at the first favourable opportunity.
On the 1st of November I called up my men at one in the morning, and we started with
the tide in our favour. Hitherto it had usually been calm at night, but on this occasion we had
a strong westerly squall with rain, which turned our prau broadside, and obliged us to an-
chor. When it had passed we went on rowing all night, but the wind ahead counteracted the
current in our favour, and we advanced but little. Soon after sunrise the wind became
stronger and more adverse, and as we had a dangerous lee-shore which we could not clear,
we had to put about and get an offing to the W.S.W. This series of contrary winds and bad
weather ever since we started, not having had a single day of fair wind, was very remark-
able. My men firmly believed there was something unlucky in the boat, and told me I ought
to have had a certain ceremony gone through before starting, consisting of boring a hole in
the bottom and pouring some kind of holy oil through it. It must be remembered that this
was the season of the south-east monsoon, and yet we had not had even half a day's south-
east wind since we left Waigiou. Contrary winds, squalls, and currents drifted us about the
rest of the day at their pleasure. The night was equally squally and changeable, and kept us
hard at work taking in and making sail, and rowing in the intervals.
