titude, the winds, which in those feas are obferved to blow a conftant equal gale between the north and weft, from the beginning of December to the beginning of May, on the 19th of April began to blow with much greater violence, and more wefterly than ufual, continuing fo for twenty days together, during which time, we were driven a little to the east of the Molucca iflands, and about three degrees northward of the line, as our captain found by an obfervation he took the 2d of May, at which time the wind ceased, and it was a perfect calm, whereat I was not a little rejoiced. But he, being a man well experienced in the navigation of those feas, bid us all prepare against a ftorm, which accordingly happened the day following: for the fouthern wind, called the fouthern monfoon, began to fet in.

Finding it was like to overblow, we took in our fprit-fail, and ftood by to hand the forefail; but, making foul weather, we looked the guns were all faft, and handed the miffen. The ship lay very broad off, fo we thought it better spooning before the fea, than trying or hulling. We reeft the fore-fail and fet him, and hawled aft the fore-fheet; the helm was hard a weather. The ship wore bravely. We belayed the fore-down-hall; but the fail was fplit, and we hawled down the yard, and got the fail into the fhip, and unbound all the things clear of it. It was a very fierce ftorm; the fea broke ftrange and dangerous. We hawled off upon the lanniard of the whip

staff,

ftaff, and helped the man at the helm. We would not get down our top-maft, but let all ftand, becaufe fhe feudded before the fea very well, and we knew that, the topmast being aloft, the fhip was the wholfomer; and made better way through the fea, seeing we had fea-room. When the ftorm was over, we fet fore-fail and main-fail, and brought the ship to. Then we fet the miffen, main-topfail, and the fore-top-fail. Our course was east-north-east, the wind was at fouth-west. We got the ftar-board tacks a-board, we caft off our weather braces and lifts; we fet in the lee-braces, and hawled forward by the weatherbowlings, and hawled them tight, and belayed them, and hawled over the miffen-tack to windward, and kept her full and by as near as the would lie.

During this form, which was followed by a ftrong wind west-south-west, we were carried by my computation about five hundred leagues to the east, fo that the oldeft failor on board could not tell in what part of the world we were. Our provifions held out well, our fhip was ftaunch, and our crew all in good health; but we lay in the utmost distress for water. We thought it best to hold on the fame course, rather than turn more northerly, which might have brought us to the north-west parts of great Tartary, and into the frozen fea.

On the 16th day of June, 1703, a boy on the top-maft difcovered land. On the 17th, we came in full view of a great island or con

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tinent (for we knew not whether) on the fouth-fide whereof was a small neck of land jutting out into the fea, and a creek too fhallow to hold a fhip of above one hundred tons. We caft anchor within a league of this creek, and our captain fent a dozen of his men well armed in the long-boat, with veffels for water, if any could be found. could be found. I defired his leave to go with them, that I

might fee the country, and make what discoveries I could. When we came to land, we faw no river or fpring, nor any fign of inhabitants. Our men therefore wandered on the fhore to find out fome fresh water near the fea, and I walked alone about a mile on the other fide, where I obferved the country all barren and rocky. I now began to be weary, and feeing nothing to entertain my curiofity, I returned gently down towards the creek; and the fea being full in my view, I faw our men already got into the boat, and rowing for life to the fhip. I was going to hollow after them, although it had been to little purpose, when I obferved a huge creature walking after them in the fea, as faft as he could: he waded not much deeper than his knees, and took prodigious ftrides: but our men had the start of him half a league, and, the sea thereabouts being full of sharppointed rocks, the monfter was not able to overtake the boat. This I was afterwards told, for I durft not stay to fee the iffue of the adventure; but ran as faft I could the way I first went, and then climbed up a steep hill, which