we did not bury eight or ten, and sometimes twelve of our men; and those, who had hitherto continued healthy, began to fall down apace.  Indeed we made the use we could of the present calm, by employing our carpenters in searching after the leak, which was now considerable, notwithstanding the little wind we had:  The carpenters at length discovered it to be in the gunner’s fore store-room, where the water rushed in under the breast-hook, on each side of the stein; but though they found where it was, they agreed that it was impossible to stop it, till we should get into port, and till they could come at it on the outside:  However, they did the best they could within board, and were fortunate enough to reduce it, which was a considerable relief to us.

We had hitherto considered the calm which succeeded the storm, and which continued for some days, as a very great misfortune; since the currents were driving us to the northward of our parallel, and we thereby risqued the missing of the Ladrones, which we now conceived ourselves to be very near.  But when a gale sprung up, our condition was still worse; for it blew from the S.W. and consequently was directly opposed to the course we wanted to steer:  And though it soon veered to the N.E. yet this served only to tantalize us, for it returned back again in a very short time to its old quarter.  However, on the 22d of August we had the satisfaction to find that the current was shifted; and had set us to the southward:  And the 23d, at day-break, we were cheered with the discovery of two islands in the western board:  This gave us all great joy, and raised our drooping spirits; for before this an universal dejection had seized us, and we almost despaired of ever seeing land again:  The nearest of these islands we afterwards found to be Anatacan; we judged it to be full fifteen leagues from us, and it seemed to be high land, though of an indifferent length:  The other was the island of Serigan; and had rather the appearance of a high rock, than a place we could hope to anchor at.  We were extremely impatient to get in with the nearest island, where we expected to meet with anchoring-ground, and an opportunity of refreshing our sick:  But the wind proved so variable all day, and there was so little of it, that we advanced towards it but slowly; however, by the next morning we were got so far to the westward, that we were in view of a third island, which was that of Paxaros, though marked in the chart only as a rock.  This was small and very low land, and we had passed within less than a mile of it, in the night, without seeing it:  And now at noon, being within four miles of the island of Anatacan, the boat was sent away to examine the anchoring-ground and the produce of the place; and we were not a little solicitous for her return, as we then conceived our fate to depend upon the report we should receive:  For the other two islands were obviously enough incapable of furnishing us with any assistance, and we knew