[Footnote 159:  This unusual expression, and others similar, as west-northerly, east-southerly, and east-northerly, which frequently occur in this voyage, are most probably the same with the usual expressions of west by south, west by north, east by south, and east by north.—­E.]

[Footnote 160:  These observations within brackets are unintelligible:  Probably notes in the log-book, for being attended to in calculating the ship’s day’s work; and either left unexplained as a species of short-hand writing of Keeling, or rendered unintelligible by the ignorant abbreviation of Purchas.  Such often occur in this article of the Pilgrims; but, except in this instance, as an example, we have omitted such useless unintelligibilities.—­E.]

The 17th of February we saw land, bearing E. about eight leagues from us, and, as I judged, in lat. 24 deg. 20’ S. About noon we were athwart two small islands, which seemed to make a good road; but not being sure of our latitude, we stood off and on till high noon, when we might take an observation, having no ground with 60 fathoms line within two miles of the shore.  The 18th, in lat. 23 deg. 37’ we anchored in 71/2 fathoms sandy ground, the two islands bearing S.W. one mile distant.  There was an island E. by N. from us about three leagues off, which the master supposed to be St Augustine, for which we proposed to search.  The variation here was 15 deg. 30’.  The 19th we weighed in the morning, when we broke one of our anchors, through an original defect; which surely deserves much blame, but for which I refer to a certificate I made on the subject.  We now steered for the seeming harbour or bay of St Augustine, having from our former anchorage in sailing towards it, from ten to twelve and twenty fathoms; and on coming near the point of the bay, we had no ground with 100 fathoms, till we came far into the bay, our skiffs going before, and then had ground at thirty, shoaling to eight fathoms.  We anchored in eighteen fathoms, and laid out another anchor in forty fathoms, the deepest water being on the south shore, the other being made shallow by the coming down of rivers.  The land bore W. by S. and N. from our anchorage, and to the north are certain shoals on which the sea breaks, so that it was only open to five points of the wind; but the road is very full of pits and deep water, and a strong stream runs always down from the river.

Captain Hawkins came on board me, and, as I was very unwell, I sent him ashore with the boats of both ships.  He returned on board towards night, without having seen any people, though their tracks were quite recent in several places.  He left some beads and other trifles in a canoe, to allure the natives.  In his opinion we had small chance here of any refreshments; but my fishers from the other side of the bay told me of having seen great store of beasts bones, and bones certainly have once had flesh.  George Evans, one of the Hector’s men, was severely bitten