Wednesday, Toward Night, The Wind
Came South, And We Bare With The Land All That Night, West-North-West,
Contrary
To the mind of Master Cox; nevertheless we followed the
Admiral, deprived of power to prevent a mischief, which by
No
contradiction could be brought to hold another course, alleging they
could not make the ship to work better, nor to lie otherways. The
evening was fair and pleasant, yet not without token of storm to
ensue, and most part of this Wednesday night, like the swan that
singeth before her death, they in the Admiral, or /Delight/, continued
in sounding of trumpets, with drums and fifes; also winding the
cornets and hautboys, and in the end of their jollity, left with the
battle and ringing of doleful knells. Towards the evening also we
caught in the /Golden Hind/ a very mighty porpoise with harping iron,
having first stricken divers of them, and brought away part of their
flesh sticking upon the iron, but could recover only that one. These
also, passing through the ocean in herds, did portend storm. I omit to
recite frivolous report by them in the frigate, of strange voices the
same night, which scared some from the helm.
Thursday, the 29 of August, the wind rose, and blew vehemently at
south and by east, bringing withal rain and thick mist, so that we
could not see a cable length before us; and betimes in the morning we
were altogether run and folded in amongst flats and sands, amongst
which we found shoal and deep in every three or four ships' length,
after we began to sound; but first we were upon them unawares, until
Master Cox looking out, discerned, in his judgment, white cliffs,
crying /Land!/ withal; though we could not afterward descry any land,
it being very likely the breaking of the sea white, which seemed to be
white cliffs, through the haze and thick weather.
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