Page:A voyage to New Holland - Dampier.djvu/80

42 by E. half a Knot, which is 12 mile in 24 hours: So that here it ran at the Rate of half a mile an hour, and had been much stronger before. The Rains held us by intervals till the Lat. of 1 deg. 0 min. N. with small Gales of Wind between S. S. E. and S. E. by E. and sometimes calm: Afterwards we had the Wind between the S. & S. S. E. till we crosst the Line, small Winds, Calms, and pretty fair Weather. We saw but few Fish beside Porposes; but of them a great many, and struck one of them.

It was the 10th day of March, about the time of the Equinox, when we crosst the Equator, having had all along from the Lat. of 4 deg. 40 min. N. where the True Trade-Wind left us, a great swell out of the S. E. and but small uncertain Gales, mostly Southerly, so that we crept to the Southward but slowly. I kept up against these as well as I could to the Southward, and when we had now and then a flurry of Wind at E. I still went away due South, purposely to get to the Southward as fast as I could; for while near the Line I expected to have but uncertain Winds, frequent Calms, Rains, Tornadoes, &c. which would not only retard my Course, but endanger Sickness also among my Men: especially those who were ill provided with Cloaths, or were too lazy to shift them-