Finding it was like to overblow, we took in our sprit-sail, and stood by to hand the foresail; but, making foul weather, we looked the guns were all fast, and handed the mizzen.  The ship lay very broad off, so we thought it better spooning before the sea than trying or hulling.  We reefed the foresail and set him, and hauled aft the fore sheet; the helm was hard-a-weather.  The ship wore bravely.  We belayed the fore downhaul; but the sail was split, and we hauled down the yard, and got the sail into the ship, and unbound all the things clear of it.  It was a very fierce storm; the sea broke strange and dangerous.  We hauled off upon the lanyard of the whip-staff, and helped the man at the helm.  We would not get down our topmast, but let all stand, because she scudded before the sea very well, and we knew that the topmast being aloft, the ship was the wholesomer, and made better way through the sea, seeing we had sea-room.  When the storm was over, we set foresail and mainsail, and brought the ship to.  Then we set the mizzen, main topsail, and the fore-topsail.  Our course was east-northeast, the wind was at southwest.  We got the starboard tacks aboard, we cast off our weather braces and lifts; we set in the lee braces, and hauled forward by the weather bowlings, and hauled them right, and belayed them, and hauled over the mizzen tack to windward, and kept her full and by as near as she would lie.  During this storm, which was followed by a strong wind west-southwest, we were carried, by my computation, about five hundred leagues to the east, so that the oldest sailor aboard could not tell in what part of the world we were.  Our provisions held out well, our ship was stanch, and our crew all in good health; but we lay in the utmost distress for water.  We thought it best to hold on the same course, rather than turn more northerly, which might have brought us to the northwest parts of Great Tartary, and into the Frozen Sea.

On the 16th day of June, 1703, a boy on the topmast discovered land.  On the 17th, we came in full view of a great island, or continent (for we knew not whether); on the south side whereof was a small neck of land jutting out into the sea, and a creek too shallow to hold a ship of above one hundred tons.  We cast anchor within a league of this creek, and our captain sent a dozen of his men well armed in the long boat, with vessels for water, if any could be found.  I desired his leave to go with them, that I might see the country, and make what discoveries I could.  When we came to land, we saw no river, or spring, nor any sign of inhabitants.  Our men therefore wandered on the shore to find out some fresh water near the sea, and I walked alone about a mile on the other side, where I observed the country all barren and rocky.  I now began to be weary, and seeing nothing to entertain my curiosity, I returned gently down towards the creek; and the sea being full in my view, I saw our men already got into the boat