4 ^ 
An,i6<)gt 
Tie A, crajfes the Line. 
by E. half a Knot, which is 1 2 mile in 
24 hours: So that here it ran at the Rate 
of half a mile an hour, and had been much 
flronger before. The Rains held us by 
intervals till the Lat. of i deg. o min. N. 
with fmall Gales of Wind between S. S. E. 
and S. E. by E. and fometimes calm : Af- 
terwards we had the Wind between the 
S. & S. S. E. till we crofst the Line, fmall 
Winds, Calms, and pretty fair Weather. 
We faw but few Filh befide Porpofes; 
but of them a great many, and ftruck one 
of them. 
It was the loth day of March, about the 
time of the Equinox, when we crofst the 
Equator , having had all along from the 
Lat. of 4 deg. 40 mm. N* where the True 
Trade- Wind left us, a great fwell out of 
the S. E. and but fmall uncertain Gales, 
moftly Southerly , fo that we crept to the 
Southward but flowly. I kept up againfl 
thefe as well as I could to the Southward, 
and when we had now and then a flurry of 
Wind at E. I ftill went away due South, 
purpofely to get to the Southward as faft 
as I could ; for while near the Line I expe- 
£ted to have but uncertain Winds , fre- 
quent Calms, Rains, Tornadoes, &c. 
which would not only retard my Courfe, 
but endanger Sicknefs alfo among my Men ; 
efpecially thofe who were ill provided with 
Cioaths, or were too lazy to flaift them- 
felves 
