Page:Early voyages to Terra Australis.djvu/305

 da:n[pieh's voyagks. 149

plied off and on, getting forward but little till the next day: ■when the wind coming at S. S. W. and S., we began to coast it along the shore to the northward, keeping at six or seven leagues from the shore ; and sounding often, we had between forty and forty-six fathom water, brown sand, with some white shells. This 15th of August, we were in lat. 24° 41'. On the sixteenth day at noon, we were in 23° 22'. The wind coming at E. by N., we could not keep the shore aboard, but were forc'd to go farther off, and lost sight of the land. Then sounding, we had no ground with eighty fathom line ; however, the wind shortly after came about again to the southward, and then we jogg'd on again to the northward, and saw many small dolphins and whales, and abundance of scuttle-shells swimming on the sea ; and some water-snakes every day. The 17th we saw the land again, and took a sight of it.

The 18th, in the afternoon, being three or four leagues off shore, I saw a shoal-point, stretching from the land into the sea, a league or more. The sea broke high on it ; by which I saw plainly there was a shoal there. I stood farther off, and coasted along shore, to about seven or eight leagues dis- tance ; and at 12 a clock at night we sounded, and had but twenty fathom, hard sand. By this I found I was upon another shoal, and so presently steered off W. half an hour, and had then forty fathom. At one in the morning of the 18th day, we had eighty-five fathom : by two we could find no ground ; and then I ventured to steer along shore again, due N., which is two points wide of the coast (that lies N. N. E.) for fear of another shoal. I would not be too far off from the land, being desirous to search into it wherever I should find an opening, or any convenience of searching about for water, etc. When Ave were off the shoal-point I mention'd where we had but twenty fathom-water, Ave had in the night abun- dance of whales about ship, some a-head, others a-stern, and some on each side blowing and making a very dismal noise ;