On the return of de Weert, he found the admiral very sick, and a council assembled in the Hope.  He in the first place advised them to remain no longer at the Cape Verd islands, and then resigned his command to the vice-admiral, de Cordes.  On advising with the other captains, and learning the quantity of water in each ship, de Cordes gave orders that such as had most should give part to the others, and that the allowance of provisions and water should be diminished, and as fresh water was not to be expected for three or four months, they were directed to gather rain-water when that could be had.  The greatest part of the men in the admiral’s ship being sick, two or three of them were removed into each of the other ships, in exchange for sound men.  The fleet sailed from Brava on the 15th September, and on the 22d a signal was made from the admiral for the other captains.  They found the admiral, James Mahu, beyond hope of recovery; and that night he and his supercargo, Daniel Restan, both died.  He was of a mild and gentle disposition, honest, careful, diligent, and very kind to the seamen, and was much lamented by the whole fleet.  Opening the letters of the directors of the expedition, which were directed to be opened in such a case, de Cordes was appointed admiral, and Benningen vice-admiral; Sebald de Weert being promoted to the command of the Faith, and Dirke Gernitsz China to that of the yacht.  These alterations did not please the seamen, who were attached to their former commanders.

By the 4th October, the scurvy raged much among the seamen, especially in the Hope, on which de Cordes ordered a day of prayer to be observed in the fleet, to implore the mercy of God and a happy voyage.  They were then in the lat. of 1 deg. 45’ S. At length the scurvy increased so much in the Hope, that the admiral had not men enough to work his ship, and it was resolved to steer for some island where fresh provisions might be procured.  They steered accordingly for Annobon, where they hoped to get fresh meat and oranges.  Towards night, the admiral, who sailed in the van, fired a gun as a signal of seeing land, though all the pilots then thought the land at the distance of 100 leagues.  They accordingly approached the land, and anchored on the coast of Manicongo, in lat. 3 deg.  S.[85] They here lost company of the small ship belonging to St Thomas, in which were eleven sound men, and some thought she had deserted, while others thought she had run aground:  But they afterwards found she had gone to Cape Lope Gonzalves, where the men quitted her, going aboard the ship of Baltazar Musheron, which was bound to America.

[Footnote 85:  The latitude in the text falls near Point Palmas, on the coast of Yumba, in what is called the Kingdom of Congo.  Mayumba bay, perhaps the Manicongo of the text, is in lat. 4 deg. 30’ S.]