4 AVOYAGETO 



>777- The wind was fixed in the Wcftern board ; tliat is, from 



v_ ",-'_^ the North, round by the Weft to South, and I fleered Eaft 

 North EaTl, and North Eaft, without meeting with any thing 

 Fridays. rcmarkablc, till eleven o'clock in the morning of the 8th 

 of Auguft, when land was fcen, bearing North North Eaft, 

 nine or ten leagues diftanr. At fiift, it appeared in detached 

 hills, like fo many feparate iflands ; but, as we drew nearer, 

 we found, that they were all connecftcd, and belonged to 

 one and the fame illand. I fteered diredtly for it, with a 

 fine gale at South Eaft by South ; and, at half paft fix o'clock^ 

 in the afternoon, it extended from North by Eaft, to North 

 North Eaft -^ Eaft, diftant three or four leagues. 



The night was fpent ftanding off and on ; and, at day- 

 Snarday g. break, the next morning, I fteered for the North Weft, or. 

 lee fide, of the ifland ; and, as we ftood round its South or 

 South Weft part, we faw it every where guarded by a 

 reef of coral rock, extending, in fome places, a full mile 

 from the land, and a higli furf breaking upon it. Some 

 thought that they faw land to the Southward of this ifland ; 

 but, as that was to the windward, it was left undetermined. 

 As we drew near, we faw people on feveral parts of the 

 coaft, walking, or running along fhore; and, in a little 

 time, after we had reached the lee-fide of the illand, wc 

 iaw them latincli two canoes, into which above a dozen' 

 men got, and paddled toward us. 



I now fliortcncd fail, as well to give thefe canoes time to^ 

 come up with us, as to found for anchorage. At the diftance 

 of about half a mile from tlie reef, wc found from forty 

 to thirty-five fathoms water, over a bottom of fine fand. 

 Nearer in, the bottom was ftrewcd with coral rocks. The 

 canoes having advanced to about the diftance of a piftol- 



fliot 



