It Was Surprising
To Behold This Strange Alteration In The Flour, Which Only A Few Days
Before Was White And Fine, And Was Now In A Manner All Alive, The
Maggots Tumbling Over Each Other In Prodigious Numbers.
On strict
enquiry, these maggots seemed to proceed from the eggs of spiders
deposited among the flour, out of which the maggots were bred, and then
fed voraciously on the flour.
Words can only faintly describe the
miseries of our situation, which was somewhat alleviated by work, and
our spirits were buoyed up by the hopes of accomplishing our long and
difficult voyage. Some occasional assistance we derived by now and then
catching a dolphin. At other times we saw many sea fowl, such as
boobies, noddies, and others, which would come and perch on some part of
our rigging, and happy was he that could catch one. In this manner we
spent ten weeks, at the end of which we were in a very melancholy
condition, and nothing but the hope of seeing land could possibly keep
us from despair.
The 10th of April, we observed the clouds to gather more than usual in
the horizon, which is a sure indication of land, as it is common between
the tropics to be foggy over the land, though perfectly clear at sea;
wherefore we kept an anxious look-out all this night, and early in the
morning of the 11th, we saw the island of Magon W. ten leagues
distant. This is a high woody island, very plain, and green on the top.
When within a mile of this island, we lay to, and several fishing boats
came to us, bringing us fish, yams, eggs, potatoes, and other
provisions, to our great joy. The men in these boats were very tall and
large-limbed, of tawny complexions, with long black hair reaching to
their middles, and were all utterly stark naked, not even covering their
parts of shame. In exchange for what we had of these people we offered
them money, which they looked at and returned, making signs to give them
tobacco, which we did, and they seemed much pleased. We also gave them
some old shirts, which they tore in pieces and wrapped round their
heads. We would have given each a dram of brandy, but they were afraid
of it; only one man accepted a glass, which he drank off, but we thought
he would never have closed his mouth again, he seemed so astonished at
the heat it left in his mouth and stomach, that I believe he thought
himself on fire. He lay down and roared like a bull near half an hour,
when he fell asleep; and we being in haste, put him into his boat,
making signs to his companions to take care of him.
These islanders seemed a very civil people, yet we did not venture to
allow too many of them to come on board at once. When they first came
near us, they tied two sticks together in form of a cross, which they
held up, as we supposed, to signify to us that they had some knowledge
of Christianity; whereupon we shewed them a crucifix, we had taken from
the Spaniards, at the sight of which they all bowed their bodies, and
came on board. This island of Magon, as I reckoned, is in lat. 15 deg. N.
and we made its longitude by computation, 120 deg. 9' W. from St Miguel,
or 7029 English miles, allowing 58-1/2 miles to the degree of longitude
in this parallel.[210]
[Footnote 210: From the sequel, this island of Magon appears almost
certainly to have been one of the Ladrones, perhaps to the N.E. of Guam,
now named Rota. Point Candadillo, near San Miguel, the N.W. cape of the
Gulf of Amapalla, is in long. 87 deg. 58' W. and the Ladrones are in long.
216 deg. W. from Greenwich, so that the difference, or run across the
Pacific, is 128 deg. 2', which, at 58-1/2 miles, extend to 7590 miles,
besides the allowance for difference of latitude. - E.]
On mature deliberation, we resolved to proceed directly from this place
to New Guinea, without putting in at the island of Guam, which was in
sight. The weather continued fair, and the wind brisk and favourable,
till we came into the latitude of 4 deg. N. when we had a calm for seven
days, during which time we had no means of relieving our hunger, except
by taking large draughts of water, and then lying down to sleep. On the
3d May we had a fine gale, which continued till the 5th, and then died
quite away before we got sight of land; but about ten that night we were
all sensible of a very odoriferous smell, whence we concluded that we
were near land, on which we examined our charts, but found none laid
down. Next morning, however, we saw land at no great distance. This day
also we caught two bonetoes, which were most welcome, as they made a
hearty meal to our whole company. This fish is commonly about three feet
long and two in circumference, having a very sharp head, with a small
mouth, full eyes, and a semilunar tail. It is very fleshy, and makes
good broth. About noon we were in sight of three small islands, all low
land, but very green and pleasant, especially to us, who had been so
long of seeing any land. We had this day an observation of the sun, by
which we found our latitude to be 50' N. and as the eastermost of these
islands was four leagues S.E. of the ship, it must of consequence be in
lat. 0 deg. 42' N.[211]
[Footnote 211: The only islands in modern maps which agree with the
slight notice in the text, are Frevilla, or St David's Isle,, nearly in
lat. 1 deg. N. and long.
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