Their Complexion Is Tawny, Like The Other Natives Of
India, And They Go Entirely Naked; But Their Women Are Of A Fairer Hue,
And Are More Modestly Cloathed Than The Men.
After this relation of the Portuguese, having satisfied the Javans for
the provisions they had supplied, and received a promise of good
entertainment to the English when they might return to their island,
Candish took leave of them, making a present to their king of three
large cannon.
Next day, being the 16th of March, he made sail for the
Cape of Good Hope, spending all the rest of that month, all April, and a
part of May, in traversing the vast ocean between the island of Java and
the southern extremity of Africa, making many observations on the
appearances of the stars, the weather, winds, tides, currents,
soundings, and bearings and positions of lands.
On the 11th of May, land was espied bearing N. and N. by W. and towards
noon more land was seen bearing W. which was believed to be the Cape of
Good Hope, being then about forty or fifty leagues from that southern
promontory of Africa.[59] The wind being scanty, they stood off to the
southwards till midnight; and, the wind being then fair, stood their
course directly west. On the 12th and 13th they were becalmed, with a
thick and hazy atmosphere. The weather cleared upon the 14th, when they
again saw land, which proved to be Cape Falso, forty or fifty leagues
short, or to the eastwards of the Cape of Good Hope.[60] This Cape
Falso is easily known, having three hills directly over it, the highest
in the middle, and only a little distance from each other; the ground
being much lower by the sea-side. Besides which, the Cape of Good Hope
bears W. by S. from this cape. They discovered the Cape of Good Hope on
the 16th of May, observing the head-land to be considerably high, having
two hummocks at the westerly point, a little off the main, and three
others a little farther into the sea, yet low-land still between these
and the sea. By the Portuguese the Cape of Good Hope is said to be 2000
leagues from Java; but by their reckoning they made it only 1850
leagues, which took them just nine weeks in the run.
[Footnote 59: Either this is a gross error, or it means that their
reckoning still made that distance from the Cape, as nothing nearly
approaching to such a distance can possibly be seen. - E.]
[Footnote 60: Captain Falso is only ten leagues E. from the Cape of Good
Hope; but perhaps Cape Aguillas may be meant in the text, which is about
thirty-five leagues E.S.E. from the Cape. - E.]
By break of day on the 8th June, they were within seven or eight leagues
of St Helena, of which island they had merely a glimpse that day, as,
having little or no wind, they had to stand off and on all night.
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