The next day, at four o’clock in the afternoon, the weather being extremely fine, the wind shifted at once to the S.W. and began to blow fresh, the sky at the same time becoming black to windward:  In a few minutes all the people that were upon the deck were alarmed with a sudden and unusual noise, like the breaking of the sea upon the shore.  I ordered the top-sails to be handed immediately; but before it could be done, I saw the sea approaching at some distance, in vast billows covered with foam; I called to the people to haul up the fore-sail, and let go the main-sheet instantly; for I was persuaded that if we had any sail out when the gust reached us, we should either be overset, or lose all our masts.  It reached us, however, before we could raise the main tack, and laid us upon our beam-ends; the main tack was then cut for it was become impossible to cast it off; and the main sheet struck down the first lieutenant, bruised him dreadfully, and beat out three of his teeth:  the main-topsail, which was not quite handed, was split to pieces.  If this squall, which came on with less warning and more violence than any I had ever seen, had taken us in the night, I think the ship must have been lost.  When it came on we observed several hundred of birds flying before it, which expressed their terror by loud shrieks; it lasted about twenty minutes, and then gradually subsided.  The Tamar split her main-sail, but as she was to leeward of us, she had more time to prepare.  In a short time it began to blow very hard again, so that we reefed our main-sail, and lay-to all night.  As morning approached the gale became more moderate, but we had still a great sea, and the wind shifting to S. by W. we stood to the westward under our courses.  Soon after it was light, the sea appeared as red as blood, being covered with a small shell-fish of that colour, somewhat resembling our cray-fish, but less, of which we took up great quantities in baskets.

At half an hour past four in the morning of the 15th of November, we saw land, which had the appearance of an island about eight or nine leagues long, there being no land in sight either to the northward or southward, though by the charts it should be Cape Saint Helena, which projects from the coast to a considerable distance, and forms two bays, one to the north, and the other to the south.  As the weather was very fine, I tacked and stood in for it about ten o’clock; but as there were many sunken rocks at about two leagues distance from it, upon which the sea broke very high, and the wind seemed to be gradually dying away, I tacked again and stood off.  The land appeared to be barren and rocky, without either tree or bush:  When I was nearest to it I sounded, and had forty-five fathom, with black muddy ground.  To my great misfortune, my three lieutenants and the master were at this time so ill as to be incapable of duty, though the rest of the ship’s company were in good health.