They Had Only Received A
Very Moderate Addition To Their Former Scanty Stock Of Provisions; And
Their Vessel Had Been So Roughly Handled In The Late Unfortunate Affair,
That They Were Very Apprehensive She Would Not Last Out The Voyage.
On
careful examination, she was found to be in a very shattered condition,
having scarcely a whole timber in
Her upper works, and one of her
fashion pieces being shot through, which is a principal support of the
after-part of the ship, they were obliged to strap her, to keep her
together. As it blew pretty fresh, they durst not carry sail, and for
nearly a week together had to scud almost under bare poles, through
variable winds, bad weather, and a rough sea. This was a melancholy
situation for the people, in seas with which they were little
acquainted, and sailing by charts on which they could not depend. Yet
they found the accounts and charts of Dampier much superior to those
laid down by persons of much greater figure, so that without these they
had hardly been able to have extricated themselves from their
difficulties. The 24th June they were in sight of the Bashee Islands,
in lat. 20 deg. 45' N. long. 121 deg. 40' E. On the 31st they saw the
island-shoals of Pralas, in lat. 21 deg. N. long. 116 deg. 20' E. The 1st
July they fell in with other islands, not laid down in any of their
charts, which perplexed them sadly, not being able to form any certain
judgment of their true course.
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