_The =Cygnet= departs from =Mindanao=. At the =Ponghou Isles=.
At the =Five Islands=. =Dampier's= Account of the =Five
Islands=. They are named the =Bashee Islands=._
[Sidenote: 1687. January. South Coast of Mindanao.] It was on the 14th of
January the Cygnet sailed from before the _River Mindanao_. The crew chose
one John Reed, a Jamaica man, for their Captain. They steered Westward
along the coast of the South side of the Island, 'which here tends WbS,
the land of a good height, with high hills in the country.' The 15th, they
were abreast a town named _Chambongo_ [in the charts _Samboangan_] which
Dampier reckoned to be 30 leagues distant from the _River of Mindanao_.
The Spaniards had formerly a fort there, and it is said to be a good
harbour. 'At the distance of two or three leagues from the coast, are many
small low Islands or Keys; and two or three leagues to the Southward of
these Keys is a long Island stretching NE and SW about twelve
leagues[81].'
[Sidenote: Among the Philippine Islands.] When they were past the SW part
of _Mindanao_, they sailed Northward towards _Manila_, plundering the
country vessels that came in their way. What was seen here of the coasts
is noticed slightly and with uncertainty. They met two Mindanao vessels
laden with silks and calicoes; and near _Manila_ they took some Spanish
vessels, one of which had a cargo of rice.
[Sidenote: March. Pulo Condore.] From the _Philippine Islands_ they went
to the Island _Pulo Condore_, where two of the men who had been poisoned
at _Mindanao_, died. 'They were opened by the surgeon, in compliance with
their dying request, and their livers were found black, light, and dry,
like pieces of cork.'
[Sidenote: In the China Seas.] From _Pulo Condore_ they went cruising to
the _Gulf of Siam_, and to different parts of the _China Seas_. What their
success was, Dampier did not think proper to tell, for it would not admit
of being palliated under the term Buccaneering. Among their better
projects and contrivances, one, which could only have been undertaken by
men confident in their own seamanship and dexterity, was to search at the
_Prata Island and Shoal_, for treasure which had been wrecked there, the
recovery of which no one had ever before ventured to attempt. In pursuit
of this scheme, they unluckily fell too far to leeward, and were unable to
beat up against the wind.
[Sidenote: July. Ponghou Isles. The Five Islands.] In July they went to
the _Ponghou Islands_, expecting to find there a port which would be a
safe retreat. On the 20th of that month, they anchored at one of the
Islands, where they found a large town, and a Tartar garrison. This was
not a place where they could rest with ease and security. Having the wind
at SW, they again got under sail, and directed their course to look for
some Islands which in the charts were laid down between _Formosa_ and
_Luconia_, without any name, but marked with the figure 5 to denote their
number. These Buccaneers, or rather pirates, had no other information
concerning the _Five Islands_ than seeing them on the charts, and hoped to
find them without inhabitants.
Dampier's account of the _Five Islands_ would lose in many respects if
given in any other than his own words, which therefore are here
transcribed.
[Sidenote: Dampier's Description of the Five Islands.] 'August the 6th, We
made the _Islands_; the wind was at South, and we fetched in with the
Westernmost, which is the largest, on which we saw goats, but could not
get anchor-ground, therefore we stood over to others about three leagues
from this, and the next forenoon anchored in a small Bay on the East side
of the Easternmost Island in fifteen fathoms, a cable's length from the
shore; and before our sails were furled we had a hundred small boats
aboard, with three, four, and some with six men in them. [Sidenote: August
7th.] There were three large towns on the shore within the distance of a
league. Most of our people being aloft (for we had been forced to turn in
close with all sail abroad, and when we anchored, furled all at once) and
our deck being soon full of Indian natives, we were at first alarmed, and
began to get our small-arms ready; but they were very quiet, only they
picked up such old iron as they found upon our deck. At last, one of our
men perceived one of them taking an iron pin out of a gun-carriage, and
laid hold of him, upon which he bawled out, and the rest leaped into their
boats or overboard, and they all made away for the shore. But when we
perceived their fright, we made much of him we had in hold, and gave him a
small piece of iron, with which we let him go, and he immediately leaped
overboard and swam to his consorts, who hovered near the ship to see the
issue. Some of the boats came presently aboard again, and they were always
afterward very honest and civil. We presently after this, sent our canoe
on shore, and they made the crew welcome with a drink they call Bashee,
and they sold us some hogs. We bought a fat goat for an old iron hoop, a
hog of 70 or 80 _lbs._ weight for two or three pounds of iron, and their
bashee drink and roots for old nails or bullets. Their hogs were very
sweet, but many were meazled. We filled fresh water here at a curious
brook close by the ship.
'We lay here till the 12th, when we weighed to seek for a better
anchoring place. We plied to windward, and passed between the South end of
this Island and the North end of another Island South of this. These
Islands were both full of inhabitants, but there was no good riding. We
stopped a tide under the Southern Island. The tide runs there very strong,
the flood to the North, and it rises and falls eight feet. It was the 15th
day of the month before we found a place we might anchor at and careen,
which was at another Island not so big as either of the former.
[Illustration: Map of the BASHEE Islands.]
'We anchored near the North East part of this smaller Island, against a
small sandy bay, in seven fathoms clean hard sand, a quarter of a mile
from the shore. We presently set up a tent on shore, and every day some of
us went to the towns of the natives, and were kindly entertained by them.
Their boats also came on board to traffic with us every day; so that
besides provision for present use, we bought and salted 70 or 80 good fat
hogs, and laid up a good stock of potatoes and yams.
[Sidenote: Names given to the Islands. Orange Island.] 'These Islands lie
in 20 deg. 20' N.[82] As they are laid down in the charts marked only with a
figure of 5, we gave them what names we pleased. The Dutchmen who were
among us named the Westernmost, which is the largest, the _Prince of
Orange's Island_. It is seven or eight leagues long, about two leagues
wide, and lies almost North and South. _Orange Island_ was not inhabited.
It is high land, flat and even at the top, with steep cliffs against the
sea; for which reason we could not go ashore there, as we did on all the
rest.
[Sidenote: Grafton Island.] 'The Island where we first anchored, we called
the _Duke of Grafton's Isle_, having married my wife out of his Dutchess's
family, and leaving her at Arlington House at my going abroad. _Grafton
Isle_ is about four leagues long, stretching North and South, and one and
a half wide.
[Sidenote: Monmouth Island.] 'The other great Island our seamen called the
_Duke of Monmouth's Island_. It is about three leagues long, and a league
wide.
[Sidenote: Goat Island. Bashee Island. The Drink called Bashee.] 'The two
smaller Islands, which lie between _Monmouth_, and the South end of
_Orange Island_; the Westernmost, which is the smallest, we called _Goat
Island_, from the number of goats we saw there. The Easternmost, at which
we careened, our men unanimously called _Bashee Island_, because of the
plentiful quantity of that liquor which we drank there every day. This
drink called Bashee, the natives make with the juice of the sugar-cane, to
which they put some small black berries. It is well boiled, and then put
into great jars, in which it stands three or four days to ferment. Then it
settles clear, and is presently fit to drink. This is an excellent liquor,
strong, and I believe wholesome, and much like our English beer both in
colour and taste. Our men drank briskly of it during several weeks, and
were frequently drunk with it, and never sick in consequence. [Sidenote:
The whole group named the Bashee Islands.] The natives sold it to us very
cheap, and from the plentiful use of it, our men called all these Islands
the _Bashee Islands_.
[Sidenote: Rocks or small Islands North of the Five Islands.] 'To the
Northward of the Five Islands are two high rocks.' [These rocks are not
inserted in Dampier's manuscript Chart, and only one of them in the
published Chart; whence is to be inferred, that the other was beyond the
limit of the Chart.]
[Sidenote: Natives described.] 'These Islanders are short, squat, people,
generally round visaged with thick eyebrows; their eyes of a hazel colour,
small, yet bigger than those of the Chinese; they have short low noses,
their teeth white; their hair black, thick, and lank, which they wear
short: their skins are of a dark copper colour. They wear neither hat,
cap, nor turban to keep off the sun. The men had a cloth about their
waist, and the women wore short cotton petticoats which reached below the
knee. These people had iron; but whence it came we knew not. The boats
they build are much after the fashion of our Deal yawls, but smaller, and
every man has a boat, which he builds himself. They have also large boats,
which will carry 40 or 50 men each.
'They are neat and cleanly in their persons, and are withal the quietest
and civilest people I ever met with. I could never perceive them to be
angry one with another. I have admired to see 20 or 30 boats aboard our
ship at a time, all quiet and endeavouring to help each other on occasion;
and if cross accidents happened, they caused no noise nor appearance of
distaste. When any of us came to their houses, they would entertain us
with such things as their houses or plantations would afford; and if they
had no bashee at home, would buy of their neighbours, and sit down and
drink freely with us; yet neither then nor sober could I ever perceive
them to be out of humour.
'I never observed them to worship any thing; they had no idols; neither
did I perceive that one man was of greater power than another: they seemed
to be all equal, only every man ruling in his own house, and children
respecting and honouring their parents. Yet it is probable they have some
law or custom by which they are governed; for whilst we lay here, we saw a
young man buried alive in the earth, and it was for theft, as far as we
could understand from them. There was a great deep hole dug, and abundance
of people came to the place to take their last farewell of him. One woman
particularly made great lamentations, and took off the condemned person's
ear-rings. We supposed her to be his mother. After he had taken leave of
her, and some others, he was put into the pit, and covered over with
earth. He did not struggle, but yielded very quietly to his punishment,
and they crammed the earth close upon him, and stifled him.
[Sidenote: Situations of their Towns.] _Monmouth_ and _Grafton Isles_ are
very hilly with steep precipices; and whether from fear of pirates, of
foreign enemies, or factions among their own clans, their towns and
villages are built on the most steep and inaccessible of these precipices,
and on the sides of rocky hills; so that in some of their towns, three or
four rows of houses stand one above another, in places so steep that they
go up to the first row with a ladder, and in the same manner ascend to
every street upwards. _Grafton_ and _Monmouth Islands_ are very thick set
with these hills and towns. [Sidenote: Bashee Islands.] The two small
Islands are flat and even, except that on _Bashee Island_ there is one
steep craggy hill. The reason why _Orange Island_ has no inhabitants,
though the largest and as fertile as any of these Islands, I take to be,
because it is level and exposed to attack; and for the same reason, _Goat
Island_, being low and even, hath no inhabitants. We saw no houses built
on any open plain ground. Their houses are but small and low, the roofs
about eight feet high.
The vallies are well watered with brooks of fresh water. The fruits of
these Islands are plantains, bananas, pine-apples, pumpkins, yams and
other roots, and sugar-canes, which last they use mostly for their bashee
drink. Here are plenty of goats, and hogs; and but a few fowls. They had
no grain of any kind.
[Sidenote: September. 26th.] 'On the 26th of September, our ship was
driven to sea, by a strong gale at NbW, which made her drag her anchors.
Six of the crew were on shore, who could not get on board. The weather
continued stormy till the 29th. [Sidenote: October.] The 1st of October,
we recovered the anchorage from which we had been driven, and immediately
the natives brought on board our six seamen, who related that after the
ship was out of sight, the natives were more kind to them than they had
been before, and tried to persuade them to cut their hair short, as was
the custom among themselves, offering to each of them if they would, a
young woman to wife, a piece of land, and utensils fit for a planter.
These offers were declined, but the natives were not the less kind; on
which account we made them a present of three whole bars of iron.'
Two days after this reciprocation of kindness, the Buccaneers bid farewell
to these friendly Islanders.