VOYAGE FROM INDIA TO SIAM AND MALACCA. 171 



teum obtained yesterday. In some of these fish I fonud some 

 Onisci, and some others, especially the St. Peter's fish, had 

 Oniscus parasiticus in their mouths. 



16. — My occupation was to tr.y and preserve the collection 

 of herbs and seeds. Meanwhile we were agitated both with fear 

 and with hope, as we lay near a sand-bank and the wind grew 

 daily stronger from the north-east. 



17. — To-day the water rose higher, because it was near the 

 time of the new moon ; the wind was strong from the north-east 

 and we had the great luck to get afloat without any damage. 

 Never is the heart more inclined to give thanks to the protecting 

 Hand of G-od, than when one has escaped from a pending danger. 

 At least I felt more deeply grateful than I cared to show to the 

 fashionable world. The wind was very strong. 



18. — A hired man brought me to-day some branches from 

 the shore : they had oblong leaves, full of nerves and blue 

 blossoms. Some other branches had lancet-shaped leaves, equal'y 

 full of nerves and rough. 



19. — AVe got to-day again water on board, because when 

 we had struck it had all been poured out, in order to make the 

 ship lighter ; also the anchors and ropes, with which they had 

 vainly tried to get us afloat, were sent ba-.'k. 



20. — To-day everything was ready for sailing and we only 

 waited for our captain, who came towards evening- and paid the 

 people who had come with him. 



21. — In the night, towards three o'clock, we had a favourable 

 wind, whereupon the anchor was weighed and with joy we left 

 the place where we all had experienced so much danger and 

 vexation up to the last hour. We passed quite close by the 

 high hilly islands on our left, where the bird's nests are collected 

 ni such quantities, and where now and then they also find black 

 pepper ; they were all stony, intermixed with red soil ; near the 

 sea the sand seemed to be white. I was told that the best pepper 

 grows on a red clayey soil on a little hill. AYe saw several boats 

 which had come from Siam, in order to buy pepper from the 

 inhabitants. In the distance we saw the continent, which seemed 

 to be flat, and had only some small mountains. The wind 

 changed and was in the evening north-west. It was rather cold, 

 and there were some clouds, but the whole atmosphere was so 

 misty that we could not see farther than two Grerman miles. In 



