50' eastwards; but my instrument was out of order,
and I had not time to put it in repair.
We weighed from Sierra Leona the 14th September, with the wind all
easterly; but it soon fell calm, and we drove to the north, but drifted
again S.W. by S. with the ebb, and when the flood again made, we
anchored in 15-1/2 fathoms. Cape Sierra Leona bearing N.E. by E. about
seven leagues off. We had not less than ten fathoms all this day. The
16th we found the current setting N. by W.
The 17th December, about two p.m. we saw land, being the Table at
Saldanha, and bore up towards it till three, when I ordered the master
to steer E.S.E. and S.E. by E. to double the cape; but as all the
people, sick and sound, desired to put into Saldanha bay, we bore up for
it, and came to anchor about noon, [next day,] in 5-1/2 fathoms, the W.
point bearing W.N.W. the island N.N.E. and the sugar-loaf S.W. As soon
as we were anchored I sent on shore, when there was found engraven on a
rock, Captain Middleton, of the Consent, 24th July, 1607. I went on
shore the 21st; and bought 120 sheep, 12 bullocks, and two calves, of
which I allowed a proportional share to the Hector. This market
continued several days, in which we bought much cattle, paying in all
200 iron hoops for 450 sheep, 46 cows, 10 steers, 9 calves, and one
bull.
Sec. 2. Departure from Saldanha, and Occurrences till the Ships parted
Company.
By sun-rise of the first January, 1608, both vessels were under sail,
and by six p.m. were ten leagues west-southerly[159] from the south
point of the bay of Saldanha. The 19th we shipped much sea at the helm
port, and at the hole abaft in my gallery, about two hours after
midnight, which wet some of our bales of cloth. We were then in lat. 35 deg.
22' S. [I allow thirteen leagues S.S.E. wind E.N.E. and N.E. six leagues
drift S. and three leagues N.E. wind all westerly.[160]] Our too great
quantity of Kintledge goods occasions our ship to labour greatly,
which the company must have special care of on another voyage. The 20th
I carefully aired and dried our cloth, oiled the fire-arms and sword
blades belonging to the company, strengthened the packing cases, &c.
This afternoon, contrary to expectation, and to the astonishment of all
our mariners, we saw land bearing N.N.W. about twelve leagues off, being
in the lat. of 34 deg. S. If I had not had dear experience of the strong
westerly current in my last voyage, I likewise had admired this; yet I
am more westerly in my reckoning than any, having doubted the currents
for causes before noted; being by reckoning 100 leagues more easterly
than the sight of land warranted.
[Footnote 159: This unusual expression, and others similar, as
west-northerly, east-southerly, and east-northerly, which frequently
occur in this voyage, are most probably the same with the usual
expressions of west by south, west by north, east by south, and east by
north. - E.]
[Footnote 160: These observations within brackets are unintelligible:
Probably notes in the log-book, for being attended to in calculating the
ship's day's work; and either left unexplained as a species of
short-hand writing of Keeling, or rendered unintelligible by the
ignorant abbreviation of Purchas. Such often occur in this article of
the Pilgrims; but, except in this instance, as an example, we have
omitted such useless unintelligibilities. - E.]
The 17th of February we saw land, bearing E. about eight leagues from
us, and, as I judged, in lat. 24 deg. 20' S. About noon we were athwart two
small islands, which seemed to make a good road; but not being sure of
our latitude, we stood off and on till high noon, when we might take an
observation, having no ground with 60 fathoms line within two miles of
the shore. The 18th, in lat. 23 deg. 37' we anchored in 71/2 fathoms sandy
ground, the two islands bearing S.W. one mile distant. There was an
island E. by N. from us about three leagues off, which the master
supposed to be St Augustine, for which we proposed to search. The
variation here was 15 deg. 30'. The 19th we weighed in the morning, when we
broke one of our anchors, through an original defect; which surely
deserves much blame, but for which I refer to a certificate I made on
the subject. We now steered for the seeming harbour or bay of St
Augustine, having from our former anchorage in sailing towards it, from
ten to twelve and twenty fathoms; and on coming near the point of the
bay, we had no ground with 100 fathoms, till we came far into the bay,
our skiffs going before, and then had ground at thirty, shoaling to
eight fathoms. We anchored in eighteen fathoms, and laid out another
anchor in forty fathoms, the deepest water being on the south shore, the
other being made shallow by the coming down of rivers. The land bore W.
by S. and N. from our anchorage, and to the north are certain shoals on
which the sea breaks, so that it was only open to five points of the
wind; but the road is very full of pits and deep water, and a strong
stream runs always down from the river.
Captain Hawkins came on board me, and, as I was very unwell, I sent him
ashore with the boats of both ships. He returned on board towards night,
without having seen any people, though their tracks were quite recent in
several places. He left some beads and other trifles in a canoe, to
allure the natives.
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