I bo 
Th e V O Y 
On the 19th, at two in the Afternoon, we came to an 
Anchor with our belt Bower, in a Bay about a League to 
the Weft ward of Java Head, in fifteen Fathom Water, 
oufy Ground, about a Mile from the Shore ; fent our Pin- 
nace for Water* and then our Sail-maker, Wooders, { £c. 
Captain Pike , and Mr. Block , came in a Boat from Ba- 
tavia , the firil of them, chiefly, after his Steward, who, 
1 fuppofe, had concealed himfelf, unknown to moft of us, 
aboard the Batchelor. In the Evening, Captain Pike lent 
us his Boat and Men ; we put into her feveral of our Men, 
with Arms and Provifions from each Ship ; and fent her 
away to Pepper Bay , to buy Fowls, and other frefh Pro- 
vifions, giving them for that Purpofe Knives, and other 
Toys, which the Natives there value above Money. In 
the Evening we had much Thunder, Lightning, and 
Rain, which put us in Fear for the Men fent to Pepper Bay ; 
continued wooding and watering till the 28th, and fent 
leveral Men afhore to kill Buffaloes, which being ex- 
tremely wild, they could fhoot none, and durft not flay 
afhore at Night* by reafon of the many Tygers : One of 
them was very near feizing a Man of ours, who, to fave 
himfelf, was obliged to take the Water ; at leaft twenty 
Shots were made at the Tyger before he went off, and 
they faw feveral others at the fame time. The Indian King, 
and his People, dealt friendly with us, trucking Fowls, and 
what elfe they had to fpare, for Knives, and the like. 
They generally came aboard every Day, and, we giving 
them fome Trifle at parting, they were kind to our Men 
afhore. The Wind being commonly at South-eaft, and a 
frefh Gale, we were under fome Apprehenfions for our 
Men fent to buy Fowls in Pepper Bay * having heard no- 
thing of them fince their Departure, and miftrufting the 
Boat might be overfet, or the Men detained by the Javans * 
But, on the 25th in the Evening, the Boat returned, to 
our great Satisfaftion, with the Men, bringing about 
twelve Dozen of Fowl, fome Mangoes, &c. Captain Pike* s 
Steward came on board the Duchefs , hoping we would 
Conceal him ; but was immediately fent on board the Bat- 
chelor to his Commander, who gladly received, and pro- 
mifed to pardon him. On the 28th of December , Mr. 
James Wafe , our chief Surgeon, died ; and we buried him 
decently the next Day, with our Naval Ceremonies, as 
ufual, being a very honeft ufeful Man, a good Surgeon, 
and bred up at Leyden , in the Study of Phyfic, as well as 
Surgery. We made Land the 15th of December , came 
in with the Shore the 18th, and had Sounding in 60 and 
7 o Fathom, the Ground grey-gret with fmall Stones and 
Shells •, had a ftrong Southerly Current, South Latitude 34 0 
2', Longitude 334 0 34' Weft from London. The fame 
Day we had very hard Flaws of Wind off the High-land, 
till we came within Sight of the Lion’s Head and Rump, 
two Hills over the Cape Town', and this Day we arrived in 
the Harbour of the Cape, faluted the DutcbFort with nine 
Guns, and were anfwered by feven. We anchored in fix 
Fathom Water, about a Mile off Shore, and found only 
one Englijh Ship, called the Donegal, Captain Cliff Com- 
mander, homeward-bound from Mocho , and two Middle- 
burghers, outward-bound for Batavia, in the Harbour, 
befides the Guard-fhip, and two or three Galliots. On 
the 29th, we moored our Ship, and got down our Yards 
and Top-mafts, to guard againft the hard Flaws of Wind 
off the Table-land, which frequently blow very frefh be- 
twixt Eaft South-eaft and South-eaft. We fent fixteen 
fick Men afhore. On the ift of February, I offered fome 
Propofals, in Writing, to Captains Dover and Courtney , 
with the reft of the Committee * wherein I told them. It 
was my Opinion, we fhould lofe too much Time to flay 
for the Dutch Fleet, in order to have the Benefit of her 
Convoy to Holland ; which would not only be out of our 
Way, but very tedious and chargeable ; and we having 
large Quantities of decaying Goods on board, the Time 
we fhould lofe by waiting for the Dutch, might be ad- 
vantageoufly employed in Brafil , where we could lie in 
very little Danger of the Enemy, and vend them at great 
Rates, and thence get to Brijlol through the North Chanel, 
having the Summer before us, continuing in the Latitude 
of 55 0 or 56°, two or three hundred Leagues before we 
got the Length of the North of Ireland ; and by that 
means, might avoid the Trad of the Enemy, learnedly 
AGES of Book I, 
preffed, that, if they could not agree to this, one of our 
Privateers might take this alone, and the other keep with 
the Batchelor and Dutch Fleet. But the Majority was 
againft any thing but going home with the Dutch Fleet all 
together ; fo that all I could do more, was to remind 
them of examining the Goods aboard the Batchelor , and 
to take out of her fo much Goods in fafe Package* as 
would lie in the like Room of European Goods, on board 
the Duchefs ; that, if any Accident fhould happen to the 
Batchelor , we might have Part of her Value in another 
Bottom. I defired, if any amongft them were not of this 
Opinion* they would give their Reafons to the contrary in 
Writing ; but we could agree on nothing. On April 5. 
at Day-break, the Flag hoifted a blue Enfign, loofed the 
Foretop-fail, and fired a Gun, as a Signal to unmoor : 
As we were heaving in our Cable, it rubbed againft the 
Oakam* which had got into the Leak, and occafioned the 
Ship to be as leaky again as ever, fhe having been indiffer- 
ent tight for fome time* and we were in hopes it would 
have continued. About Noon I came aboard very thin, 
and in no better Health than I was when I went firft afhore 
at our Arrival here : Prefently after I went aboard the 
Flag, there being a Signal made for all the Englffo Com- 
manders. We had before received our Orders* which were 
very particular, and to be punctually obferved. About four 
in the Afternoon, the Flag, Vice, and Rear-admirals* 
weighed with Part of the Fleet, and fell down to Robins 
or Penguin Ifland, where they lay for the reft of the Ships. 
On the 6th, in the Afternoon, we all weighed from Pen- 
guin Hand, being fixteen Dutch, and nine Englijh Ships, 
having a fine frefh Breeze at South South-eaft* The 
Cape of Good Hope has been fo often defcribed, that I do 
not think it neceffary to detain the Reader with any Ac- 
count of it here. There happened nothing remarkable in 
our Voyage till June 5. when the Admiral made a Signal 
for all the Englijh Commanders, and fome of the Dutch 
Skippers, to come on board •, where we found an excel- 
lent Entertainment *, and the good Humour of the Dutch 
Admiral foon made all the Company underftand each other 
without a Linguift, tho* we had much ado to get one at 
firft meeting : We parted before the Sun fet, and had a fine 
Day. The 28th, being got into the Latitude of 51 0 
North, we had thick foggy Weather * fo that the Flag 
fired two Guns every Half-hour, and each Ship anfwered 
with one. This continued feveral Days, which confumed 
a great deal of Powder •, but, by the Noife of the Guns, it 
was eafy to keep Company, tho’ fometimes fo thick for 
feveral Hours, that we could not fee three Ships Lengths. 
On July 14. we faw two Ships in the Afternoon; one of 
which we fpoke with, being a Dane, bound for Ireland ; 
fhe informed us of the Dutch Men of War that were cruif* 
ing for us off Shetland, (being ten Sail) whom we faw four 
or five Days ago, and reckoned herfelf now about forty 
Leagues from the Land. We had Sounding then in feventy 
Fathom Water, brown gravelly Ground. I juft had time 
to fend the Owners a Copy of my Letters from the Cape 
of Good Hope ; and to let them know, that we were now 
got fo far fafe towards the Conclufion of a fatiguing Voyage. 
In the Morning, we made Fair IJland, and Foul Ijland, 
lying off of Shetland. Prefently after we faw the Men of 
War; but, having little Wind, and they a good Way 
diftant from each other, we could join but one of them by 
Noon. The next Day all the Men of War joined us, 
except one or two, with the Fifhing-doggers, which were 
cruifing off to the North-eaft of Shetland. After mutual 
Salutations, both by the Englijh and the Dutch Ships, one 
of the Men of War was fent out to fee for the miffing 
Ships. The Inhabitants of thofe Hands came aboard with 
what Provifions they had, being very poor People, and 
fubfift moft by Fifhing. On the 17 th, I wrote a fingie 
Letter to the Owners in general, by a Scots Fifhing-boat 
belonging to Shetland, advifing them of our joining the 
Men of War who are ordered with the Fleet to the T exel, 
where we hoped to meet an Englijh Convoy. The Dutch 
India Admiral, though but a Company’s Ship, wears his 
Flag; gives Signals and Orders to the Dutch Men of War, 
which is not fuffered among the Englijh ; and, in the 
whole Run from the Cape, kept an exabt Difcipline in 
the Fleet, not fuffering any of the Commanders to go 
out 
