under a small island and stayed for the night, and I shot a large fruit-pigeon new
to me, which I have since named Carpophaga tumida. I also saw and shot at the
rare white-headed kingfisher (Halcyon saurophaga), but did not kill it. The next
morning we sailed on, and having a fair wind reached the shores of the large
island of Waigiou. On rounding a point we again ran full on to a coral reef with
our mainsail up, but luckily the wind had almost died away, and with a good
deal of exertion we managed get safely off.
We now had to search for the narrow channel among islands, which we knew
was somewhere hereabouts, and which leads to the villages on the south side of
Waigiou. Entering a deep bay which looked promising, we got to the end of it,
but it was then dusk, so we anchored for the night, and having just finished all
our water could cook no rice for supper. Next morning early (29th) we went on
shore among the mangroves, and a little way inland found some water, which
relieved our anxiety considerably, and left us free to go along the coast in search
of the opening, or of some one who could direct us to it. During the three days
we had now been among the reefs and islands, we had only seen a single small
canoe, which had approached pretty near to us, and then, notwithstanding our
signals, went off in another direction. The shores seemed all desert; not a house,
or boat, or human being, or a puff of smoke was to be seen; and as we could only
go on the course that the ever-changing wind would allow us (our hands being
too few to row any distance), our prospects of getting to our destination seemed
rather remote and precarious. Having gone to the eastward extremity of the deep
bay we had entered, without finding any sign of an opening, we turned
westward; and towards evening were so fortunate as to find a small village of
seven miserable houses built on piles in the water. Luckily the Orang-kaya, or
head man, could speak a little. Malay, and informed us that the entrance to the
strait was really in the bay we had examined, but that it was not to be seen
except when close inshore. He said the strait was often very narrow, and wound
among lakes and rocks and islands, and that it would take two days to reach the
large village of Muka, and three more to get to Waigiou. I succeeded in hiring
two men to go with us to Muka, bringing a small boat in which to return; but we
had to wait a day for our guides, so I took my gun and made a little excursion
info the forest. The day was wet and drizzly, and I only succeeded in shooting
two small birds, but I saw the great black cockatoo, and had a glimpse of one or
two Birds of Paradise, whose loud screams we had heard on first approaching
the coast. Leaving the village the next morning (July 1st) with a light wind, it
took us all day to reach the entrance to the channel, which resembled a small
river, and was concealed by a projecting point, so that it was no wonder we did