In the afternoon we met with a
rippling tide or current, or the water of some shoal or overfall; but
were past it before we could sound. The birds last mentioned and this
were further signs of land. In the evening we had fair weather and a
small gale at west. At 8 o'clock we sounded again; but had no ground.
We kept on still to the eastward, with an easy sail looking out sharp:
for by the many signs we had I did expect that we were near the land. At
12 o'clock in the night I sounded and had 45 fathom, coarse sand and
small white shells. I presently clapped on a wind and stood to the south,
with the wind at west, because I thought we were to the south of a shoal
called the Abrolhos (an appellative name for shoals as it seems to me)
which in a chart I had of that coast is laid down in 27 degrees 28
minutes latitude stretching about 7 leagues into the sea. I was the day
before in 27 degrees 38 minutes by reckoning. And afterwards, steering
east by south purposely to avoid it, I thought I must have been to the
south of it: but sounding again at 1 o'clock in the morning August the
first, we had but 25 fathom, coral rocks; and so found the shoal was to
the south of us.
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