We Lay Becalmed Off A
Pretty Deep Bay On New Guinea, About Twelve Or Fourteen Leagues
Wide, And Seven Or Eight Leagues Deep, Having Low Land Near Its
Bottom, But High Land Without.
The easternmost part of New Guinea
seen bore east-by-south, distant twelve leagues; Cape Mabo west-
south-west half-south, distant seven leagues.
At one in the afternoon it began to rain, and continued till six in
the evening, so that, having but little wind and most calms, we lay
still off the forementioned bay, having King William's Island still
in sight, though distant by judgment fifteen or sixteen leagues
west. We saw many shoals of small fish, some sharks, and seven or
eight dolphins, but caught none. In the afternoon, being about four
leagues from the shore, we saw an opening in the land, which seemed
to afford good harbour. In the evening we saw a large fire there,
and I intended to go in (if winds and weather would permit) to get
some acquaintance with the natives.
Since the 4th instant that we passed Cape Mabo, to the 12th, we had
small easterly winds and calms, so that we anchored several times,
where I made my men cut wood, that we might have a good stock when a
westerly wind should present, and so we plied to the eastward, as
winds and currents would permit, having not got in all above thirty
leagues to the eastward of Cape Mabo; but on the 12th, at four in
the afternoon, a small gale sprang up at north-east-by-north, with
rain; at five it shuffled about to north-west, from thence to the
south-west, and continued between those two points a pretty brisk
gale, so that we made sail and steered away north-east, till the
13th, in the morning, to get about the Cape of Good Hope. When it
was day we steered north-east half east, then north-east-by-east
till seven o'clock, and, being then seven or eight leagues off
shore, we steered away east, the shore trending east-by-south. We
had very much rain all night, so that we could not carry much sail,
yet we had a very steady gale. 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.
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