Tuesday the 27th, fresh gales at west, and cloudy weather, with a great swell without, insomuch that we could not put out to sea; we therefore sent the people ashore to dress their provisions; each man is allow’d but a quarter of a pound of flour per day, without any other subsistence but what Providence brings in our way.
Thursday, the 29th, early this morning it being calm and thick weather, with small rain, we rowed out of the lagoon; at five it cleared up, with a fresh breeze at S.S.E., steer’d S.W. and S.W. by W., saw a small island bearing S. by W., the southmost end S. by E. This island we called the rock of Dundee, it being much like that island in the West-Indies, but not so large; it lieth about four leagues distant from the southmost point of land out at sea. This day it blow’d so hard that we were obliged to take the cutter in tow.
Friday the 30th, hard gales, and a great sea; saw some islands and some sunken rocks; at six saw the main in two points of land, with a large opening; on each side the sunken rocks are innumerable; the entrance is so dangerous, that no mortal would attempt it unless his case was desperate as ours, we have nothing but death before our eyes in keeping the sea, and the same prospect in running in with the land: We ran in before the wind to the opening that appear’d between the two points, the northmost of which bore N. by E., and the southmost S. by E. We steered in east, and found the opening to be a large lagoon on the southmost side, running into a very good harbour; here our small vessel lay secure in a cove, which nature had form’d like a dock; we had no occasion to let go our anchor, but ran alongside the land, and made fast our head and stern. The people went ashore in search of provision; here we found plenty of wood and water, and fine large muscles in great quantities. Served to each man half a piece of beef.
Saturday the 31st, this morning cast loose and row’d towards the mouth of the lagoons, designing to put out to sea, but the wind blew so hard that we were obliged to come to an anchor. This afternoon, in weighing the grapnel in order to go to the cove, we found it foul among some rocks, all hands haul’d, took a turn round the main-mast and went aft, which weighed the grapnel, but straightened one of the flukes: Here the land is very high and steep on each side, the carpenter and cooper were on the highest of these hills, and found deep ponds of water on the top of them; these hills are very rocky, and there are great falls of water all along the coast: The whole navy of England may lie with safety in many of those lagoons, but the coast is too dangerous for any ship to fall in with the land. The people today were very much afflicted with the gripes and pains in their side. Here are abundance of trees, not unlike our yew-trees, they are not above seven or eight inches in diameter, and the bark is like cedar. The land is to appearance very good, but on digging beneath