land; and the clouds above it were gilded of a dark red colour. And on
the Tuesday, as the sun drew near the horizon, the clouds were gilded
very prettily to the eye, tho’ at the same time my mind dreaded the
consequences of it. When the sun was now not above 2 degrees high, it
entered into a dark smoaky-coloured cloud that lay parallel with the
horizon, from whence presently seem’d to issue many dusky blackish
beams. The sky was at this time covered with small hard clouds (as we
call such as lye scattering about, not likely to rain), very thick one
by another; and such of them as lay next to the bank of clouds at the
horizon, were of a pure gold colour, to 3 or 4 degrees high above the
bank. From these, to about 10 degrees high, they were redder, and very
bright; above them they were of a darker colour still, to about 60 or 70
degrees high, where the clouds began to be of their common colour. I
took the more particular notice of all this, because I have generally
observed such colour’d clouds to appear before an approaching storm. And
this being winter here, and the time for bad weather, I expected and
provided for a violent blast of wind, by reefing our topsails, and
giving a strict charge to my officers to hand them or take them in, if
the wind should grow stronger. The wind was now at W.N.W. a very brisk
gale. About twelve o’clock at night we had a pale whitish glare in the
N.W., which was another sign, and intimated the storm to be near at
hand; and the wind increasing upon it, we presently handed our
top-sails, furled the main-sail, and went away only with our fore-sail.
Before two in the morning, it came on very fierce, and we kept right
before wind and sea, the wind still increasing. But the ship was very
governable, and steered incomparably well. At eight in the morning we
settled our fore-yard, lowering it four or five foot, and we ran very
swiftly; especially when the squalls of rain or hail, from a black
cloud, came over head, for then it blew excessive hard. These, tho’ they
did not last long, yet came very thick and fast one after another. The
sea also ran very high; but we running so violently before wind and sea,
we ship’d little or no water, tho’ a little wash’d into our upper
deck-ports; and with it a scuttle or cuttle-fish was cast upon the
carriage of a gun.
The wind blew extraordinary hard all Wednesday, the 7th of June, but
abated of its fierceness before night; yet it continued a brisk gale
till about the 16th, and still a moderate one till the 19th day; by
which time we had run about six hundred leagues: for the most part of
which time the wind was in some point of the west, namely, from the
W.N.W. to the S. by W. It blew hardest when at W., or between the W. and
S.W., but after it veered more southerly the foul weather broke up. This
I observed at other times also in these seas, that when the storms at
west veered to the southward they grew less; and that when the wind came
to the east of the south we had still smaller gales, calms, and fair
weather. As for the westerly winds on that side the Cape, we like them
never the worse for being violent, for they drive us the faster to the
eastward; and are therefore the only winds coveted by those who sail
towards such parts of the East Indies as lye south of the equator, as
Timor, Java, and Sumatra; and by the ships bound for China, or any other
that are to pass through the Streights of Sundy. Those ships having once
passed the Cape, keep commonly pretty far southerly, on purpose to meet
with those west winds, which in the winter season of these climates they
soon meet with; for then the winds are generally westerly at the Cape,
and especially to the southward of it: but in their summer months they
get to the southward of 40 degrees, usually ere they meet with the
westerly winds. I was not at this time in a higher latitude than 36
degrees, 40 minutes, and oftentimes was more northerly, altering my
latitude often as winds and weather required; for in such long runs ’tis
best to shape one’s course according to the winds. And if, in steering
to the east, we should be obliged to bear a little to the N. or S. of
it, ’tis no great matter; for ’tis but sailing two or three points from
the wind, when ’tis either northerly or southerly; and this not only
easeth the ship from straining, but shortens the way more than if a ship
was kept close on a wind, as some men are fond of doing.
The 19th of June, we were in latitude 34 degrees, 17 minutes S., and
longitude from the Cape 39 degrees, 24 minutes E., and had small gales
and calms. The winds were at N.E. by E., and continued in some part of
the east till the 27th day. When, it having been some time at N.N.E. it
came about at N., and then to the W. of the N., and continued in the
west-board (between the N.N.W. and S.S.W.) till the 4th of July; in
which time we ran seven hundred and eighty-two miles; then the winds
came about again to the east, we reckoning ourselves to be in a meridian
1100 L. east of the Cape; and, having fair weather, sounded, but had no
ground.
We met with little of remark in this voyage, besides being accompanied
with fowls all the way, especially pintado-birds, and seeing now and
then a whale; but as we drew nigher the coast of New Holland, we saw
frequently three or four whales together. When we were about ninety
leagues from the land we began to see sea-weeds, all of one sort; and as
we drew nigher the shore we saw them more frequently. At about
thirty-leagues distance we began to see some scuttle-bones floating on
the water, and drawing still nigher the land we saw greater quantities
of them.
July 25th, being in latitude 26 degrees, 14 minutes S., and longitude
east from the Cape of Good Hope 85 degrees, 52 minutes, we saw a large
gar-fish leap four times by us, which seemed to be as big as a porpose.
It was now very fair weather, and the sea was full of a sort of very
small grass or moss, which, as it floated in the water, seem’d to have
been some spawn of fish; and there was among it some small fry. The next
day the sea was full of small round things like pearl, some as big as
white peas; they were very clear and transparent, and upon crushing any
of them a drop of water would come forth: the skin that contain’d the
water was so thin that it was but just discernable. Some weeds swam by
us, so that we did not doubt but we should quickly see land. On the 27th
also some weeds swam by us, and the birds that had flown along with us
all the way almost from Brazil now left us, except only two or three
shear-waters. On the 28th we saw many weeds swim by us, and some whales
blowing. On the 29th we had dark cloudy weather, with much thunder,
lightning, and violent rains in the morning, but in the evening it grew
fair. We saw this day a scuttle-bone swim by us, and some of our young
men a seal, as it should seem by their description of its head. I saw
also some bonetas and some skipjacks, a fish about eight inches long,
broad, and sizeable, not much unlike a roach, which our seamen call so
from their leaping about.
The 30th of July, being still nearer the land, we saw abundance of
scuttle-bones and sea-weed, more tokens that we were not far from it;
and saw also a sort of fowls, the like of which we had not seen in the
whole voyage, all the other fowls having now left us. These were as big
as lapwings, of a grey colour, black about their eyes, with red sharp
bills, long wings, their tails long and forked like swallows, and they
flew flapping their wings like lapwings. In the afternoon we met with a
ripling like a tide or current, or the water of some shoal or over-fall;
but were past it before we could sound. The birds last mention’d and
this were further signs of the land. In the evening we had fair weather,
and a small gale at west. At eight a 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 twelve a clock in the night I sounded, and had forty-five fathom,
coarse sand and small white shells. I presently clapt on a wind and
stood to the south, and the wind at W., because I thought we were to the
south of a shoal call’d the Abrohles (an appellative name for shoals, as
it seems to me), which in a draught I had of that coast is laid down in
27 degrees, 28 minutes latitude, stretching about seven leagues into the
sea. I was the day before in 27 degrees, 38 minutes by reckoning. And
afterwards steering E. by S. purposely to avoid it, I thought I must
have been to the south of it: but sounding again at one a clock in the
morning, August the 1st, we had but twenty-five fathom, coral rocks; and
so found the shoal was to the south of us. We presently tack’d again,
and stood to the north, and then soon deepned our water; for at two in
the morning we had twenty-six fathom, coral still: at three, we had
twenty-eight, coral ground: at four, we had thirty fathom, coarse sand,
with some coral: at five, we had forty-five fathom, coarse sand and
shells; being now off the shoal, as appear’d by the sand and shells, and
by having left the coral. By all this I knew we had fallen into the
north of the shoal, and that it was laid down wrong in my sea-chart: for
I found it lye in about 27 degrees latitude, and by our run in the next
day I found that the outward edge of it, which I sounded on, lies
sixteen leagues off shore. When it was day we steered in E.N.E. with a
fine brisk gale, but did not see the land till nine in the morning, when
we saw it from our topmast head, and were distant from it about ten
leagues, having then forty fathom water and clear sand. About three
hours after we saw it on our quarter-deck, being by judgment about six
leagues off, and we had then forty fathom, clean sand. As we ran in,
this day and the next, we took several sights of it, at different
bearings and distances. This morning, August the 1st, as we were
standing in we saw several large sea fowls, like our gannets on the
coast of England, flying three or four together; and a sort of white
sea-mews, but black about the eyes, and with forked tails. We strove to
run in near the shore to seek for a harbour to refresh us after our
tedious voyage; having made one continued stretch from Brazil hither of
about 114 degrees, designing from hence also to begin the discovery I
had a mind to make on New Holland and New Guinea. The land was low, and
appear’d even, and as we drew nearer to it, it made (as you see in Table
iv, No. 3, 4, 5)[32] with some red and some white clifts; these last in
latitude 26 degrees, 10 minutes south, where you will find fifty-four
fathom within four miles of the shore.
About the latitude of 26 degrees south we saw an opening and ran in,
hoping to find a harbour there; but when we came to its mouth, which was
about two leagues wide, we saw rocks and foul ground within, and
therefore stood out again: there we had twenty fathom water within two
mile of the shore. The land every where appear’d pretty low, flat and
even, but with steep cliffs to the sea; and when we came near it there
were no trees, shrubs, or grass to be seen. The soundings in the
latitude of 26 degrees south, from about eight or nine leagues off till
you come within a league of the shore, are generally about forty fathom;
differing but little, seldom above three or four fathom. But the lead
brings up very different sorts of sand, some coarse, some fine, and of
several colours, as yellow, white, grey, brown, blueish and reddish.
When I saw there was no harbour here, nor good anchoring, I stood off to
sea again, in the evening of the second of August, fearing a storm on a
lee-shore, in a place where there was no shelter, and desirous at least
to have sea-room; for the clouds began to grow thick in the western
board, and the wind was already there, and began to blow fresh almost
upon the shore, which at this place lies along N.N.W. and S.S.E. By nine
a clock at night we had got a pretty good offin, but the wind still
increasing I took in my main top-sail, being able to carry no more sail
than two courses and the mizen.
At two in the morning, August 3rd, it blew very hard, and the sea was
much raised, so that I furled all my sails but my main-sail. Tho’ the
wind blew so hard, we had pretty clear weather till noon; but then the
whole sky was blackned 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 eight a
clock, August the 4th, in the evening, and then had sixty fathom water,
coral ground. At ten, we had fifty-six fathom, fine sand. At twelve, we
had fifty-five fathom, fine sand, of a pale blueish colour. It was now
pretty moderate weather, yet I made no sail till morning; but then, the
wind veering about to the S.W., I made sail and stood to the north; and
at eleven a clock the next day, August 5th, we saw land again, at about
six 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.
The 6th of August, in the morning, we saw an opening in the land, and we
ran into it, and anchored in seven and a half fathom water, two miles
from the shore, clean sand. It was somewhat difficult getting in here,
by reason of many shoals we met with, but I sent my boat sounding before
me. The mouth of this sound, which I call’d Shark’s Bay, lies in about
twenty-five degrees south latitude, and our reckoning made its longitude
from the Cape of Good Hope to be about 87 degrees; which is less by
about one hundred and ninety-five leagues than is usually laid down in
our common draughts, if our reckoning was right, and our glasses did not
deceive us. As soon as I came to anchor in this bay, I sent my boat
ashore to seek for fresh water; but in the evening my men returned,
having found none. The next morning I went ashore myself, carrying
pick-axes and shovels with me to dig for water, and axes to cut wood. We
tried in several places for water, but finding none after several
trials, nor in several miles compass, we left any farther search for it,
and spending the rest of the day in cutting wood, we entered aboard at
night.
The land is of an indifferent height, so that it may be seen nine or ten
leagues off. It appears at a distance very even; but as you come nigher
you find there are many gentle risings, though none steep nor high. ’Tis
all a steep shore against the open sea, but in this bay or sound we were
now in, the land is low by the sea side, rising gradually within the
land. The mould is sand by the sea side, producing a sort of sampier,
which bears a white flower. Farther in the mould is reddish, a sort of
sand, producing some grass, plants, and shrubs. The grass grows in great
tufts, as big as a bushel, here and there a tuft; being intermix’d with
much heath, much of the kind we have growing on our commons in England.
Of trees or shrubs here are divers sorts, but none above ten feet high:
their bodies about three foot about, and five or six foot high before
you come to the branches, which are bushy and composed of small twigs
there spreading abroad, tho’ thick set and full of leaves, which were
mostly long and narrow. The colour of the leaves was on one side
whitish, and on the other green; and the bark of the trees was generally
of the same colour with the leaves, of a pale green. Some of these trees
were sweet scented and reddish within the bark, like sassafras, but
redder. Most of the trees and shrubs had at this time either blossoms or
berries on them. The blossoms of the different sort of trees were of
several colours, as red, white, yellow, etc., but mostly blue; and these
generally smelt very sweet and fragrant, as did some also of the rest.
There were also beside some plants, herbs, and tall flowers, some very
small flowers growing on the ground, that were sweet and beautiful, and
for the most part unlike any I had seen elsewhere.[33]
There were but few land fowls; we saw none but eagles, of the larger
sorts of birds, but five or six sorts of small birds. The biggest sort
of these were not bigger than larks, some no bigger than wrens, all
singing with great variety of fine shrill notes; and we saw some of
their nests with young ones in them. The water fowls are ducks (which
had young ones now, this being the beginning of the spring in these
parts), curlews, galdens, crab-catchers, cormorants, gulls, pelicans,
and some water fowl, such as I have not seen any where besides.
The land animals that we saw here were only a sort of raccoons,
different from those of the West Indies, chiefly as to their legs; for
these have very short fore legs, but go jumping upon them as the others
do (and like them are very good meat); and a sort of guanos, of the same
shape and size with other guanos, describ’d (vol. i, p. 57), but
differing from them in three remarkable particulars: for these had a
larger and uglier head, and had no tail, and at the rump, instead of the
tail there, they had a stump of a tail, which appear’d like another
head; but not really such, being without mouth or eyes: yet this
creature seem’d by this means to have a head at each end, and, which may
be reckon’d a fourth difference, the legs also seem’d all four of them
to be fore-legs, being all alike in shape and length, and seeming by the
joints and bending to be made as if they were to go indifferently either
head or tail foremost. They were speckled black and yellow, like toads,
and had scales or knobs on their backs like those of crocodiles, plated
on to the skin, or stuck into it as part of the skin. They are very slow
in motion, and when a man comes nigh them they will stand still and
hiss, not endeavouring to get away. Their livers are also spotted black
and yellow, and the body when opened hath a very unsavoury smell. I did
never see such ugly creatures any where but here. The guanos I have
observ’d to be very good meat, and I have often eaten of them with
pleasure; but tho’ I have eaten of snakes, crocodiles, and allegators,
and many creatures that look frightfully enough, and there are but few I
should have been afraid to eat of if prest by hunger, yet I think my
stomach would scarce have serv’d to venture upon these New Holland
guanos, both the looks and the smell of them being so offensive.[34]
The sea fish that we saw here (for here was no river, land or pond of
fresh water to be seen), are chiefly sharks. There are abundance of them
in this particular sound, that I therefore give it the name of Shark’s
Bay, There are also skates, thornbacks, and other fish of the ray kind
(one sort especially like the sea devil), and gar-fish, bonetas, etc. Of
shell fish we got here muscles, periwinkles, limpits, oysters, both of
the pearl kind and also eating oysters, as well the common sort as long
oysters, beside cockles, etc. The shore was lined thick with many other
sorts of very strange and beautiful shells, for variety of colour and
shape, most finely spotted with red, black, or yellow, etc., such as I
have not seen any where but at this place. I brought away a great many
of them; but lost all except a very few, and those not of the best.
There are also some green turtle, weighing about two hundred pounds. Of
these we caught two, which the water ebbing had left behind a ledge of
rock, which they could not creep over. These served all my company two
days, and they were indifferent sweet meat. Of the sharks we caught a
great many, which our men eat very savourily. Among them we caught one
which was eleven foot long. The space between its two eyes was twenty
inches, and eighteen inches from one corner of his mouth to the other.
Its maw was like a leather sack, very thick, and so tough that a sharp
knife could scarce cut it; in which we found the head and bones of a
hippopotamus, the hairy lips of which were still sound and not
putrified; and the jaw was also firm, out of which we pluckt a great
many teeth, two of them eight inches long, and as big as a man’s thumb,
small at one end, and a little crooked; the rest not above half so long.
The maw was full of jelly, which stank extremely: however, I saved for a
while the teeth and the shark’s jaw. The flesh of it was divided among
my men, and they took care that no waste should be made of it.
’Twas the 7th of August when we came into Shark’s Bay, in which we
anchor’d at three several places, and stay’d at the first of them (on
the west side of the bay), till the 11th. During which time we searched
about, as I said, for fresh water, digging wells, but to no purpose.
However, we cut good store of fire wood at this first anchoring place,
and my company were all here very well refreshed with raccoons, turtle,
shark, and other fish, and some fowls; so that we were now all much
brisker than when we came in hither. Yet still I was for standing
farther into the bay, partly because I had a mind to increase my stock
of fresh water, which was began to be low, and partly for the sake of
discovering this part of the coast. I was invited to go further, by
seeing from this anchoring place all open before me, which therefore I
designed to search before I left the bay. So on the 11th, about noon, I
steer’d farther in, with an easy sail, because we had but shallow water:
we kept therefore good looking out for fear of shoals, sometimes
shortning, sometimes deepning the water. About two in the afternoon we
saw the land a-head that makes the S. of the bay, and before night we
had again sholdings from that shore: and therefore shortned sail and
stood off and on all night, under two topsails, continually sounding,
having never more than ten fathom, and seldom less than seven. The water
deepned and sholdned so very gently, that in heaving the lead five or
six times we should scarce have a foot difference. When we came into
seven fathom either way, we presently went about. From this S. part of
the bay, we could not see the land from whence we came in the afternoon:
and this land we found to be an island of three or four leagues long;
but it appearing barren, I did not strive to go nearer it; and the
rather, because the winds would not permit us to do it without much
trouble, and at the openings the water was generally shoal. I therefore
made no farther attempts in this S.W. and S. part of the bay, and
steered away to the eastward, to see if there was any land that way, for
as yet we had seen none there. On the 12th, in the morning, we pass’d by
the N. point of that land, and were confirm’d in the persuasion of its
being an island, by seeing an opening to the east of it, as we had done
on the W. Having fair weather, a small gale, and smooth water, we stood
further on in the bay, to see what land was on the E. of it. Our
soundings at first were seven fathom, which held so a great while, but
at length it decreas’d to six. Then we saw the land right a-head, that
in the plan makes the E. of the bay. We could not come near it with the
ship, having but shoal water; and it being dangerous lying there, and
the land extraordinary low, very unlikely to have fresh water (though it
had a few trees on it, seemingly mangroves), and much of it probably
covered at high water, I stood out again in that afternoon, deepning the
water, and before night anchored in eight fathom, clean white sand,
about the middle of the bay. The next day we got up our anchor, and that
afternoon came to an anchor once more near two islands, and a shoal of
coral rocks that face the bay. Here I scrubb’d my ship; and finding it
very improbable I should get out to sea again, sounding all the way; but
finding by the shallowness of the water that there was no going out to
sea to the east of the two islands that face the bay, nor between them,
I return’d to the west entrance, going out by the same way I came in at,
only on the east instead of the west side of the small shoal to be seen
in the plan: in which channel we had ten, twelve, and thirteen fathom
water, still deepning upon us till we were out at sea. The day before we
came out I sent a boat ashore to the most northerly of the two islands,
which is the least of them, catching many small fish in the meanwhile
with hook and line. The boat’s crew returning, told me that the isle
produces nothing but a sort of green, short, hard, prickly grass,
affording neither wood nor fresh water; and that a sea broke between the
two islands, a sign that the water was shallow. They saw a large turtle,
and many skates and thornbacks, but caught none.
It was August the 14th, when I sail’d out of this Bay or Sound, the
mouth of which lies, as I said, in 25° 5´ designing to coast along to
the N. E. till I might commodiously put in at some other part of N.
Holland. In passing out we saw three water-serpents swimming about in
the sea, of a yellow colour, spotted with dark brown spots. They were
each about four foot long, and about the bigness of a man’s wrist, and
were the first I saw on this coast, which abounds with several sorts of
them. We had the winds at our first coming out at N., and the land lying
north-easterly. We plied off and on, getting forward but little till the
next day: when the wind coming at S. S. W. and S., we began to coast it
along the shore to the northward, keeping at six or seven leagues from
the shore; and sounding often, we had between forty and forty-six fathom
water, brown sand, with some white shells. This 15th of August, we were
in lat. 24° 41´. On the sixteenth day at noon, we were in 23° 22´. The
wind coming at E. by N., we could not keep the shore aboard, but were
forc’d to go farther off, and lost sight of the land. Then sounding, we
had no ground with eighty fathom line; however, the wind shortly after
came about again to the southward, and then we jogg’d on again to the
northward, and saw many small dolphins and whales, and abundance of
scuttle-shells swimming on the sea; and some water-snakes every day. The
17th we saw the land again, and took a sight of it.