COASTS OF ROMANCE

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 11280, 9 August 1930, Page 9

COASTS OF ROMANCE

WHERE MALAYS FOUGHT

ABORIGINES.

That portion of tho coast extending from Broome (W.A.) to Darwin (N.A.) might well he termed the cradle of Australian romance (writes Frank , Reid in the Melbourne Argus). Years before Captain Cook sailed his frail craft along the eastern shores of Australia it was the rendezvous of freebooters and adventurers. Dampier bad throaded his way through the isles off the coast in bis ship the Roebuck, and Dampier’s Archipelago still perpetuates tho name of the famous buccaneer. Many other spots on the Nor’-West coast arc made attractive by Dampier’s association with that locality. The name ol the hay oil the shores of which the town of Broome stands is called after the buccaneer’s ship, and there is the creek where Dampier sought refuge from tho fierce blows 1 which periodically sweep over and devastate this hurricane region of Australian waters. Jutting 'out from the foreshores of the town is a. causeway, obviously not the work of Nature, lmt considered by local historians to have been built by Dampier’s men to facilitate loading and unloading when the Roebuck came into port. Tradition says that, somewhere -in the sand adjacent to the causeway the buccaneer buried treasure, but so far tlxe secret of the hoard, if there be any, lias not been splved.

Sufficient evidence has been discovered during recent years to prove that Malay proas, for a long period, probably centuries, paid annual visits to the Nor’-West coast. No doubt gold, pearls and luscious trepang proved specially attractive to them, and during these early voyages the Malays must have removed from our northern coast millions of pounds worth of spoil in trepang, pearls, gold, tortoise-shell, sandalwood, and other timber, ft is known also that a fusion of Malay blood has been made with the" aborigines, for among them have been found many light, yellow-skinned, sturdy-limbod, big-bodied natives, with a better facial angle and features of a softer, more intelligent cast-. They always displayed ..a braver front than their darker-skinned fellows and in battle forays a light-skinned native was always invaribly chosen as leader. A fleet of Malay proas was discovered on February 17, ISO 3, in tire Malay Load, south of the Cotton Islands, by Captain Matthew Flinders. The chief of the proas, who was named Pohasso, informed Flinders that there were then upon the coast in different divisions GO proas. Their object was to gather trepang. Pobnssoo had made seven voyages to the Nor’-West coast within the preceding 20 years. Fie realised that the Malays 'had long been' accustomed to fish for trepang among the island in tho vicinity of Java, hut in bygone years one of the - proas had bpen driven by a monsoon to the northern coast of Australia, amt finding trepang abundant, the Malays had continued to fish there since that time. The Malays undoubtedly procured the best hauls of pearls on the coast. Thirty years ago the master of a proa, called the Lakara showed a visitor, from Darwin six pickle-bottles full of pearls. He said that during the previous season a proa, had taken away 36 bottles of pearls, but no doubt a great number of these tvero inferior. The aborigines collected the pearls in the absence of the Malays, for whom they saved them. They received in exchange grog and tobacco. The liquor the Malays supplied to the natives was awful stuff, and the drinking of it led to many tragedies. Crews of these proas met with some dreadful calamities. On one occasion *a proa was found drifting with 13 corpses lying on the deck. The cause of this disaster was a mystery. Many crews of the proas have been massacred by the aborig,ines. Some .years ago tho crew of the Erang Polia was attacked, hut the Malay captain kept the natives at bay with an old carbine, and the proa eventually reached Darwin after- terrible hardships. On- another occasion tho members of a wrecked proa’js crew defended themselves for several days against tho aborigines, and-’ eventually’escaped with tho loss of several men. Scores of proas have been wrecked between Broome and Darwin, and the' crews have been massacred.

Many relies which were once the property of, early navigators and adventurers. who visited our northern coast , have been found from time to time. Few of them, unfortunately, have, found, their way into the museums. Several years ago 'Peter Eriskson. an old, Darwin resident, discovered an ancient car,lion at Cape .Bougainville. As this placo was notorious for .fierce aborigines, it is surmised that the. weapon was mounted hero for the protection of ships while they were watering. Johnson, Sa Norwegian, at Darwin,': found on • Bathurst Island a; tomahawk I’ougitly niado from a piece of iron which 'resembled tho stone axes 'of the dint 'past. , Tho aborigino -who owned the 'relic, stated that there. Was a. tradi-tion-in His tribe, that,-long before the arrival'of white settlers in .the territory, :;a sailing Vessol .was wreck-' ed on Melville Island, and the crew were massacred ■by the blacks. The tomahawk, which., came from the wreck, had been treasured by the fcribo since tho disaster, • •