The Wind Continued Favourable Till The 16th,
At Night, When We Were In The Bay Of Biscay, At Which Time We Were
Assailed By A Most Fearful Storm, During Which We Lost Sight Both Of The
Globe And The Rose.
The Globe rejoined us on the 26th following, but the
Rose was no more heard of till six months afterwards, when she arrived
at Bantam.
The storm continued with violence from the 16th to the 21st.
The 28th we got sight of the grand Canary, and of the Peak of Teneriffe,
which is so extremely high that it may be seen in a clear day more than
forty leagues out at sea, as the mariners report. The 31st, being
Easter-day, we passed under the tropic of Cancer, and on the 7th of
April had the sun in our zenith. The 16th, we met with these winds
called tornadoes, which are so variable and uncertain, as sometimes to
blow from all the thirty-two points of the compass within the space of a
single hour. These winds are accompanied by much thunder and lightning,
and excessive rains, of so noisome a nature, as immediately to cause
people's clothes to stink on their backs; and wherever this rain-water
stagnates, even for a short space of time, it brings forth many
offensive animalcules. The tornadoes began with us when in about 12 deg. of
N. latitude, and continued till we were two degrees to the south of the
equinoctial line, which we passed on the 28th of April. The 19th of May,
being Whitsunday, we passed the tropic of Capricorn, so that we were
complete seven weeks under the torrid zone.
Almost every day, while between the tropics, we saw various kinds of
fish, in greater abundance than elsewhere. As the whale, or mighty
Leviathan, whom God hath created to take his pastime in the seas;
Dolphins also, and Albicores, with Bonitoes, flying-fishes, and many
others. Some whales were of an exceeding greatness, which, in calm
weather, would often rise and shew themselves above the water, appearing
like vast rocks; and, while rising, they would spout up a great quantity
of water into the air, with much noise, which fell down again around
them like heavy rain. The dolphin is called, from the swiftness of its
motion, the arrow of the sea. This fish differs from many others, in
having teeth on the top of its tongue. It is pleasing to the eye, the
smell, and the taste, having a changeable colour, finned like a roach,
covered with very small scales, giving out a delightful scent above all
other fishes, and is in taste as good as any. These dolphins are very
apt to follow our ships, not, so far as I think, from any love they bear
for men, as some authors write, but to feed upon what may be thrown
overboard. Whence it comes to pass that they often become food to us;
for, when they swim close by the ships, they are struck by a broad
instrument full of barbed points, called a harping-iron, to which a rope
is fastened, by which to pull the instrument and the fish on board. This
beautiful dolphin may be taken as an emblem of a race of men, who, under
sweet countenances, carry sharp tongues. The bonitoes and albicores are
much like our mackerels in colour, shape, and taste, but grow to a very
large size. The flying-fishes live the most unhappy lives of all others,
as they are persecuted in the water by the dolphins, bonitoes, and
albicores, and when they endeavour to escape from their enemies in the
water, by rising up in flight, they are assailed by ravenous fowls in
the air, somewhat like our kites, which hover over the water in waiting
for their appearance in the other element. These flying-fishes are like
men who profess two trades and thrive in neither.
Early in the morning of the 12th June, we espied our long-wished-for
harbour, the bay of Saldanha, [Table-bay] about twelve leagues short
from the Cape of Good Hope, into which we came happily to anchor that
same forenoon. We here found one of the Company's ships, the Lion,
commanded by Captain Newport, come from Surat, and homeward-bound for
England. We made ourselves merry with each other on this happy meeting;
and having a fair gale, the Lion sailed on the night of the 14th. We
found here water in abundance, but little refreshments for our sick men,
except fresh fish, as the natives brought us nothing. We remained in
this harbour till the 28th, on which day we departed, the Swan steering
her course for Bantam. The 29th we doubled the Cape of Good Hope, in the
lat. of 35 deg. S. Off this cape there continually sets a most violent
current to the westwards, whence it happens, when it is met by a strong
contrary wind, their impetuous opposition occasions so rough a sea that
some ships have been swallowed up, and many more endangered among these
mountainous waves. Few ships pass this way without encountering a storm.
The 22d of July we got sight of the great island of Madagascar, commonly
called of St Lawrence, being between that island and the main, but
touched not there. Proceeding on our course, on the 1st of August we
fell in with a part of the main land of Africa, called Boobam,[224] in
lat. 16 deg. 35' S. the variation being 13 deg. 12'. The 5th we drew near the
little islands of Mohelia, Gazidia, and St Juan de Castro, [Moelia,
Hinzuan or Johanna, Mayotta or St Christopher, and Augasi,] generally
known by the name of the Komoro islands, in about the lat. of 12 deg. S.
[Footnote 224: The head-land of Mosambique is probably here meant. - E.]
Early in the morning of the 6th of August, our men in the tops looking
out for land, espied a sail about three or four leagues off directly in
our course.
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