The weather becoming more settled, the admiral stood to the eastwards for Hispaniola, and came to the extreme point of that island stretching towards Jamaica, which he called Cabo de Ferol, or Cape Lighthouse[8]; and on Wednesday the 20th of August, he got sight of the westernmost point of Hispaniola, which he named Cape St Michael, now called Tiberoon; which is twenty-five or thirty leagues from the easternmost point of Jamaica[9].  On, Saturday the 23d of August, a cacique came off to the ships, calling out Almirante!  Almirante! from which circumstance he inferred that he had fallen in with Hispaniola, of which he was not till then assured.  At the end of August, he anchored at a small island which looks like a sail, which he therefore named Alto Vela, being twelve leagues from Beata[10].  The other two ships being out of sight, the admiral sent some of his men to the top of this island to look out for them.  While on shore the seamen killed five seals which lay asleep on the sand, and knocked down many birds with their sticks, even catching some with their hands, for a the island was uninhabited they were not afraid of men.  After six days waiting, the other ships rejoined the admiral; and he proceeded to La Beata, and thence eastwards along the coast of Hispaniola to a river running through a fine populous plain, now called Catalina, or Catherines Plain, from the name of a lady to whom it once belonged[11].  Some Indians came off to the ships in their canoes, who said the Spaniards from the town of Isabella had been there, and were all well.  Going on eastwards from this place, a large town was observed on shore, to which he sent the boats for water.  The Indians came out armed with poisoned arrows, and threatened to bind the Spaniards with cords; yet as soon as the boats came near, they laid down their arms, inquired for the admiral, and brought provisions to the Spaniards.  This place is in the province of Higuay, the natives of which are the most warlike of all the tribes in Hispaniola, and use poisoned arrows.

Continuing the course to the eastwards, a large fish was seen resembling a small whale, having a shell on its neck like that of a tortoise, as large as a target.  Its head, which it held above water, was like a pipe or large cask; it had two vast fins on the sides, and the tail resembled that of a tunny fish, but much larger.  From the appearance of this fish, and by other tokens in the sky, the admiral suspected an approaching storm, and took shelter therefore within an island called Adamanoy by the Indians, but which the Spaniards name Saona, which is about two leagues in length, having a strait between it and Hispaniola about a league in breadth.  He there anchored, but as the other two ships were unable to get in they ran great danger.  That night, the admiral observed an eclipse of the moon, from which he calculated the difference of longitude between