Those Who Died
Here Were Mostly Carried Off By The Flux, Owing, As I Think, To The
Water Which We
Drank; for it was now in the season of winter, when it
rained very much, causing great floods all over
The country, so that the
waters were unwholesome, as they mostly are in these hot countries in
the rainy season. The flux is likewise often caught by going open, and
catching cold at the stomach, which our men were very apt to do when
hot.
We sailed from this bay on the 6th March, 1602, steering our course for
India, and on the 16th fell in with an island called Rogue Pize, [in
lat. 10 deg. 30' S. and long. 64 deg. 20' E.] The general sent his boat to see
if there were any safe anchorage, but the water was found almost every
where too deep. As we sailed along, it seemed every where pleasant, and
full of cocoa-nut trees and fowls, and there came from the land a most
delightful smell, as if it had been a vast flower garden. Had there been
any good anchorage, it must surely have been an excellent place of
refreshment; for, as our boats went near the land, they saw vast
quantities of fish, and the fowls came wondering about them in such
flocks, that the men killed many of them with their oars, which were the
best and fattest we had tasted in all the voyage. These fowls were in
such vast multitudes, that many more ships than we had might have been
amply supplied.
The 30th March, 1602, being in lat. 6 deg. S[106] we happened upon a ledge
of rocks, and looking overboard, saw them under the ship about five
fathoms below the surface of the water, which amazed us exceedingly by
their sudden and unexpected appearance. On casting the ship about, we
had eight fathoms, and so held on our course to the east. Not long
after, one of our men in the top saw an island S.E. of us, some five or
six leagues off, being low land, which we judged to be the island of
Candu,[107] though our course by computation did not reach so far
east. Continuing our course some thirteen or fourteen leagues, we fell
upon another flat of sunken rocks, when we cast about southwards, and in
sailing about twelve leagues more found other rocks, and in trying
different ways we found rocks all round about, having twenty, thirty,
forty, and even fifty fathoms among the flats. We were here two days and
a half in exceeding great danger, and could find no way to get out. At
last we determined to try to the northward and in 6 deg. 40' S. thank God,
we found six fathoms water. The pinnace went always before, continually
sounding, with orders to indicate by signals what depth she had, that we
might know how to follow.
[Footnote 106: The Speaker bank, in long.
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