At 2 in the morning
August 3 it blew very hard, and the sea was much raised; so that I furled
all my sails but my mainsail. Though the wind blew so hard we had pretty
clear weather till noon: but then the whole sky was blackened with thick
clouds, and we had some rain, which would last a quarter of an hour at a
time, and then it would blow very fierce while the squalls of rain were
over our heads; but as soon as they were gone the wind was by much
abated, the stress of the storm being over. We sounded several times, but
had no ground till 8 o'clock August the 4th in the evening; and then had
60 fathom water, coral ground. At 10 we had 56 fathom fine sand. At 12 we
had 55 fathom, fine sand, of a pale bluish colour. It was now pretty
moderate weather; yet I made no sail till morning; but then, the wind
veering about to the south-west, I made sail and stood to the north: and
at 11 o'clock the next day August 5 we saw land again, at about 10
leagues distance. This noon we were in latitude 25 degrees 30 minutes,
and in the afternoon our cook died, an old man, who had been sick a great
while, being infirm before we came out of England.
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