The Snake Swam Away From Them Very Fast,
Keeping His Head Above Water; The Fish Snapped At His Tail, But
When
he turned himself, that fish would withdraw, and another would snap,
so that by turns they kept him employed,
Yet he still defended
himself, and swam away a great pace, till they were out of sight.
The 25th, betimes in the morning, we saw an island to the southward
of us, at about fifteen leagues' distance. We steered away for it,
supposing it to be that which the Dutch call Wishart's Island; but,
finding it otherwise, I called it Matthias, it being that saint's
day. This island is about nine or ten leagues long, mountainous and
woody, with many savannahs, and some spots of land which seemed to
be cleared.
At eight in the evening we lay by, intending, if I could, to anchor
under Matthias Isle; but the next morning, seeing another island
about seven or eight leagues to the eastward of it, we steered away
for it. At noon we came up fair with its south-west end, intending
to run along by it and anchor on the south-east side, but the
tornadoes came in so thick and hard that I could not venture in.
This island is pretty low and plain, and clothed with wood; the
trees were very green, and appeared to be large and tall, as thick
as they could stand one by another. It is about two or three
leagues long, and at the south-west point there is another small,
low, woody island, about a mile round, and about a mile from the
other. Between them there runs a reef of rocks which joins them.
(The biggest I named Squally Island.)
Seeing we could not anchor here, I stood away to the southward, to
make the main; but having many hard squalls and tornadoes, we were
often forced to hand all our sails and steer more easterly to go
before it. On the 26th at four o'clock it cleared up to a hard sky
and a brisk settled gale; then we made as much sail as we could. At
five it cleared up over the land, and we saw, as we thought, Cape
Solomaswer bearing south-south-east, distance ten leagues. We had
many great logs and trees swimming by us all this afternoon, and
much grass; we steered in south-south-east till six, then the wind
slackened, and we stood off till seven, having little wind; then we
lay by till ten, at which time we made sail, and steered away east
all night. The next morning, as soon as it was light, we made all
the sail we could, and steered away east-south-east, as the land
lay, being fair in sight of it, and not above seven leagues'
distance. We passed by many small low woody islands which lay
between us and the main, not laid down in our drafts. We found
variation 9 degrees 50 minutes east.
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