At Eight This Morning The Weather
Cleared Up, And The Wind Decreased To A Fine Top-Gallant Gale, And
Settled At West-By-South.
We had more rain these three days past,
than all the voyage, in so short a time.
We were now about six
leagues from the land of New Guinea, which appeared very high; and
we saw two headlands about twenty leagues asunder, the one to the
east and the other to the west, which last is called the Cape of
Good Hope. We found variation east 4 degrees.
The 15th, in the morning, between twelve and two o'clock, it blew a
very brisk gale at north-west, and looked very black in the south-
west. At two it flew about at once to the south-south-west, and
rained very hard. The wind settled some time at west-south-west,
and we steered east-north-east till three in the morning; then the
wind and rain abating, we steered east-half-north for fear of coming
near the land. Presently after, it being a little clear, the man at
the bowsprit end called out, "Land on our starboard bow." We looked
out and saw it plain: I presently sounded, and had but ten fathom,
soft ground. The master, being somewhat scared, came running in
haste with this news, and said it was best to anchor. I told him
no, but sound again; then we had twelve fathom; the next cast,
thirteen and a half; the fourth, seventeen fathom; and then no
ground with fifty fathom line.
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