We Set Sail On The 12th May, 1613, From This Island Of Doy, Being The
North-Eastmost Island Of Batta-China, Or Gilolo, In The Moluccas, In
Latitude 2 Deg.
35' N.[2] The variation here was 5 deg.
20' easterly. By noon of
this day we were fourteen leagues N. by E. from the place where we had
been at anchor for twenty days.[3] The 1st June, passed the tropic of
Cancer. The 2d, being in lat 25 deg. 44' N. we laid our account with seeing
the islands of Dos Reys Magos.[4] Accordingly, about four p.m. we had
sight of a very low island, and soon afterwards of the high land over
the low, there being many little islands, to the number of ten or
eleven, connected by broken grounds and ledges, so that we could not
discern any passage to the westward. At night we stood off and took in
our top-sails, and lay close by in our courses till morning. The islands
stretch from S.W. to N.E. The 3d, we stood in for the land, which
appeared to us a most pleasant and fertile soil, as much so as any we
had seen from leaving England, well peopled, and having great store of
cattle. We proposed to have come to anchor about its north-east point,
and on sounding, had sixty fathoms. We saw two boats coming off to us,
and used every means to get speech of them, wishing for a pilot, and
desiring to know the name of the island, but the wind was so strong that
we could not get in, wherefore we stood away N.W. and had sight of
another island bearing N.N.W. for which we steered, and thence descried
another, N.E. half E. about seven or eight leagues off.
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