Then it would blow a brisk gale, so that we could scarce
carry our topsails double reefed: and it would continue thus till 3 in
the afternoon, when it would decrease again. The weather was fair all the
while, not a cloud to be seen; but very hazy, especially nigh the
horizon. We sounded several times this 20th day and at first had no
ground; but had afterwards from 52 to 45 fathom, coarse brown sand, mixed
with small brown and white stones, with dints besides in the tallow.
The 21st day also we had small land breezes in the night and seabreezes
in the day: and as we saw some seasnakes every day, so this day we saw a
great many, of two different sorts or shapes. One sort was yellow, and
about the bigness of a man's wrist, about 4 foot long, having a flat tail
about 4 fingers broad. The other sort was much smaller and shorter, round
and spotted black and yellow. This day we sounded several times, and had
45 fathom sand. We did not make the land till noon, and then saw it first
from our topmast-head. It bore south-east by east about 9 leagues
distance; and it appeared like a cape or head of land.
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