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.]