270 DAMPIER'S SOJOURN IN GREAT NICOBAR 



stress of the wind will come. I must confess that I was a little 

 anxious at the sight of the circle, and wished heartily that we 

 were near some land. Yet I showed no sign of it to discourage 

 my consorts, but made a virtue of necessity, and put a good 

 countenance on the matter. 



" I told Mr Hall that if the wind became too strong and 

 violent, as I feared it would, it being even then very strong, we 

 must of necessity steer away before the wind and sea till better 

 weather presented ; and that as the winds were now, we should, 

 instead of about 20 leagues to Achin, be driven 60 or 70 to 

 the coast of Cudda or Oueda (Kedah) a kingdom and town and 

 harbour of trade on the coast of Malacca. 



" The winds, therefore, bearing very hard, we rolled up the 

 foot of our sail on a pole fastened to it, and settled our yard 

 within 3 feet of the canoe sides, so that we had now but a 

 small sail ; yet it was still too big considering the winds, for 

 the wind being on our broadside, pressed her down very much, 

 though supported by her outlayers, in so much that the poles 

 of the outlayers going from the sides of the vessel bent as if 

 they would break ; and should they have broken, our over- 

 turning and perishing had been inevitable. Besides, the sea 

 increasing, would soon have filled the sea this way. Yet thus 

 we made a shift to bear up with the side of the vessel against 

 the wind for a while ; but the wind still increasing about one 

 o'clock in the afternoon, we put right away before wind and 

 sea, continuing to run thus all the afternoon and part of the 

 night ensuing. The wind continued increasing all the afternoon, 

 and the sea still swelled higher, and often broke, but did us 

 no damage ; for the ends of the vessel being very narrow, he 

 that steered received and broke the sea on his back, and so 

 kept it from coming in so much as to endanger the vessel : 

 though much water would come in, which we were forced to 

 keep heaving out continually. And by this time we saw it was 

 well we had altered our course, every wave would else have filled 

 and sunk us, taking the side of the vessel; and though our 

 outlayers were well lashed down to the canoe's bottom with 



