We Dismissed The Samuel To Return Home, And Held On Our
Way.
We came into Saldanha roads the 24th July, and saluted the Dutch admiral
with five guns, which he returned.
There were also two other Holland
ships there, which came to make train-oil of seals,[318] and which had
made 300 pipes. This day I went a-land, and found the names of Captain
Keeling and others, homewards-bound in January, 1610; also my brother
David's name, outward-bound, 9th August, 1609, and likewise a letter
buried under ground, according to agreement between him and me in
England, but it was so consumed with damp as to be altogether illegible.
The 26th, we set up a tent for our sick men, and got them all ashore to
air our ships. From this till we departed, nothing happened worth
writing.
[Footnote 318: In a letter which I had from Mr Femell, written from
Saldanha bay, he mentions two French ships in like employment, which he
suspected lay in wait for distressed ships coming from India. - Purch.]
The 6th September, in lat. 23 deg. 30' S. wind southerly, a pleasant gale.
This day, after dinner, we saw land, and before night, came to anchor in
the bay of St Augustine, where we found the Union distressed for want of
provisions.[319] The 7th, I went ashore in my pinnace to endeavour to
get fresh victuals for the people, but could not; we got however wood
and water. The 10th, we steered along the coast with a fresh gale at
S.E. reckoning to have made twenty-six leagues that day, but we only
went twenty-two, owing to a current setting south. The 11th, we steered
along the land, having still a great current against us. The 20th, at
noon, our latitude was 11 deg. 10', the variation being 12 deg. 40' This
afternoon we saw land, being the islands of Queriba,[320] which are
dangerous low islands, environed with rocks and shoals.
[Footnote 319: See the narrative of her voyage in sect. ix. of this
chapter.]
[Footnote 320: Querimba, an island and river of that name on the Cafre
coast, in lat. 12 deg. 30' S. There is an island called Oibo, a little way
to the north, and another named Goat's island, a little-way south of
Querimba; all three being probably the islands of Queriba in the
text. - E.]
The 16th October, early in the morning, we saw the Duas Irmanas, or
Two Sisters, bearing N. by W. the wind at S.W. and the 18th, we came to
anchor in a sandy bay in the island of Socotora, in lat. 12 deg. 25' N.[321]
In the evening we caught many fish with the sein. The 21st, we
endeavoured to get into the road of Tamarin, the chief town of the
island, but from contrary winds were unable to get there till the 25th.
The latitude of Tamarin is 12 deg. 30' [13 deg. 37'] S. This town stands at the
foot of high rugged hills, and the road is all open between E. by N. and
W.N.W. We anchored in ten fathoms on good ground.
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