Voyage de Siam par l’Abbé de Choisy 1685-1686 XXXVII

Esteemed Readers, be ready for an extreme isle rodeo passing! Follow safety measures! Enjoy the voyage! 🏝🍍🎉

Aboard the Oiseau, 1 September 1685

“The Surgeon of the La Maligne has visited us to speak about M. d’Arbouville’s illness. A poor guy has received the holy Viaticum & his strength is dwindling. All the days we move in the same way. We take advantage of little wind. When it is strong, we use all the sails. When it is gone, we stay still berthed until it returns…”

Aboard the Oiseau, 3 September 1685

“The Indian border is more beautiful than the African one. We have sailed it early in the morning while sleeping. The wind is good, heat is not so strong. We see islands on the right & on the left: we have passed one on  astarboard & another on portside. Only insane people can go here without a good pilot who has not passed this straight at least several times. He makes us feel if we go by carriage: here is a shore, there is a rock. We pass everything confidently…

Early in the morning we have seen Linguen Island. We passed it on portside as we are sailing into the North. It is huge, covered with famous high mountains. We anchored & at midday we continued our travel as the wind returned. We keep the land in view. We suppose to pass between Poltimont Island that is in forty five lieuës from here & Malacca Island always keeping the wheel to Siam. We have been told about the Vautour, a vessel of the French Company that wanted to pass the West of Poltimont & was thrown with the current to dangerous shores of Cambogia. Poor Arbouville was given Extreme Unction. We have no hope any more…”

Dieu Vous Ait en Sa Sainte Garde,

Vostre l’Abbé de Choisy ”

Previous posts of the Voyage (I-XXXVI) is here.

Image: Tapestry, 17th century, France

Maria KethuProfumo