Part 11 (1/2)

To the westward, and in sight of this volcano, was an island not very high, and pleasant in appearance. There are few anchoring places, and those very close to the sh.o.r.e; it was very full of black people.

Here we caught two in some canoes, whom we clothed and gave presents to, and the next day we put them ash.o.r.e. In return for this they shot a flight of arrows at a Spaniard, though in truth it was not in the same port, but about a musket shot further on. They are, however, a people that never miss an opportunity of doing mischief.

In sight of this island and around it are many islands, very high and large, and to the southward one so large* that we stood for it, naming the island where our man was wounded, _Santa, Maria_.

[* This ”one so large.” is _Espiritu Santo_; Torres, evidently, did not share Queiroz's belief, but took it for what it was, an island. See for corroboration what he says further on, 8 paragraphs below.]

Sailing thence to the southward towards the large island we discovered a very large bay, well peopled, and very fertile in yams and fruits, pigs and fowls.

They are all black people and naked. They fought with bows, darts and clubs. They did not choose to have peace with us, though we frequently spoke to them and made presents; and they never, with their good will, let us set foot on sh.o.r.e.

This bay is very refres.h.i.+ng, and in it fall many and large rivers. It is in 15 45' S., lat.i.tude and in circuit it is twenty-five leagues. We named it the bay of _San Felipe_ and _Santiago_, and the land _del Espiritu Santo_.

There we remained fifty days; we took possession in the Name of Your Majesty.

From within this bay, and from the most sheltered part of it, the _Capitana_ departed at one hour past midnight, without any notice given to us, and without making any signal. This happened the 11th of June, and although the next morning we went out to seek for them, and made all proper efforts, it was not possible for us to find them, for they did not sail on the proper course, nor with good intention.

So I was obliged to return to the bay, to see if by chance they had returned thither. And on the same account we remained in this bay fifteen days, at the end of which we took Your Majesty's orders,* and held a consultation with the officers of the _Brigantine_.

[* The orders included instructions to sail as far as the 21st parallel; also to _rendezvous_ at _Graciosa_ bay, which order Torres appears to have disobeyed.]

It was determined that we should fulfil them, although contrary to the inclination of many, I may say of the greater part; but my condition was different from that of Captain Pedro Fernandez de Queiroz.*

[* Torres insinuates here that Queiroz was overruled by his crew.]

TORRES LEAVES SANTO.

At length we sailed from this bay, in conformity to the order, although with intention to sail round this island,* but the season and strong currents would not allow of this, although I ran along a great part of it. In what I saw there are very large mountains. It has many ports, though soma of them are small. All of it is well watered with rivers.

[* Again, Torres states that Espiritu Santo is an Island, see 8 paragraphs previous.]

We had at this time nothing but bread and water. It was the depth of winter, and I had sea, wind, and ill will of my crew against me. All this did not prevent me from reaching the lat.i.tude mentioned (21 S.), which I pa.s.sed by one degree, and would have gone further if the weather had permitted,* for the s.h.i.+p was good. It was proper to act in this manner, for these are not voyages performed every day, nor could Your Majesty otherwise be properly informed.

[* When Torres says, he ”would have gone further,” etc., he evidently thought he was not far from the Australian Continent; a few days' sail, three at the most, would have brought him to Cape Capricorne, on the coast of Queensland, a little to the south of the ”Lost Bay” that was marked on some of the maps of the period.]

Going in the said lat.i.tude on a S.W. course, we had no signs of land that way.

From hence I stood back to the N.W. till 11 30' S. lat.i.tude; there we fell in with the beginning of New Guinea, the coast of which runs W. by N. and E. by S.

I could not weather the E. point, so I coasted along to the westward on the south side.

I may here interrupt Torres' description in order to point out the various discoveries which he made along the southern sh.o.r.es of New Guinea during the course of his voyage to Manila in which he pa.s.sed through the straits that bear his name.

The recovery of some ancient ma.n.u.script charts and other doc.u.ments throws considerable light on this perilous and interesting voyage.*

[* The charts in question were pillaged from the Spanish archives during the wars of Napoleon I., and taken to Paris. There, buried away and uncatalogued, they were found, some years ago, by a friend of mine, who caused them to be returned to their original owners and acquainted me with their existence, thus enabling me to get copies of them which were first published to the English speaking world in my work on ”The Discovery of Australia,” in the year 1894.]

There lies at the eastern extremity of New Guinea a group of beautiful islands supposed to have been first sighted in the year 1873 by the leader of an English expedition, bent on discovery. Captain John Moresby, of H.M.S. _Basilisk_, the leader in question, in the account of his discoveries in New Guinea, published in 1876, says:

”I trust that the work done by H.M.S. _Basilisk_, in waters. .h.i.therto untracted, on sh.o.r.es. .h.i.therto untrodden, and among races. .h.i.therto unknown by Europeans will be held to call for some account.”