272 DAMPIER'S SOJOURN IN GREAT NICOBAR 



night I ever was in. About ten o'clock it began to thunder, 

 lighten, and rain ; but the rain was very welcome to us, having 

 drank up all the water we brought from the island. 



" The wind at first blew harder than before, but within half 

 an hour it abated and become more moderate, and the sea 

 also assuaged of its fury ; and then by a lighted match, of 

 which we kept a piece burning on purpose, we looked on our 

 compass to see how we steered, and found our course to be 

 still east. We had no occasion to look on the compass before, 

 for we steered right before the wind, which if it shifted we 

 had been obliged to have altered our course accordingly. But 

 now it being abated, we found our vessel lively enough, with 

 that small sail which was then aboard, to hale our former course 

 S.S.E., which accordingly we did, being now in hopes again to 

 get to the island Sumatra. 



"But about two o'clock in the morning of the 19th day, 

 we had another gust of wind, with much thunder, lightning, 

 and rain, which lasted till day, and obliged us to put before 

 the wind again, steering thus for several hours. It was very 

 dark, and the hard rain soaked us so thoroughly that we had 

 not one dry thread about us. The rain chilled us extremely : 

 for any fresh water is much colder than that of the sea. For 

 even in the coldest climates the sea is warm, and in the hottest 

 climates the rain is cold and unwholesome for man's body. In 

 this wet starveling plight we spent the tedious night. Never 

 did poor mariners on a lee-shore more earnestly long for the 

 dawning light than we did now. At length the day appeared, 

 but with such dark black clouds near the horizon, that the 

 first glimpse of the dawn appeared 30 or 40 degrees high, which 

 was dreadful enough : for it is a common saying among seamen, 

 and true, as I have experienced, that a high dawn will have 

 high winds, and a low dawn small winds. 



" We continued our course still east, before wind and sea, 

 till about eight o'clock in the morning of the 19th day ; and 

 then one of our Malayan friends cried out, Pulo Way. Mr Hall 

 and Ambrose and I thought the fellow had said Pull away ! an 



