Cockle island.

In the afternoon we passed by the cape and stood over for the islands.  Before it was dark we were got within a league of the westermost; but had no ground with 50 fathom of line.  However, fearing to stand nearer in the dark, we tacked and stood to the east, and plied all night.  The next morning we were got 5 or 6 leagues to the eastward of that island; and, having the wind easterly, we stood in to the northward among the islands, sounded, and had no ground.  Then I sent in my boat to sound, and they had ground with 50 fathom near a mile from the shore.  We tacked before the boat came aboard again for fear of a shoal that was about a mile to the east of that island the boat went to; from whence also a shoal point stretched out itself till it met the other:  they brought with them such a cockle as I have mentioned in my Voyage round the World, found near Celebes; and they saw many more, some bigger than that which they brought aboard, as they said; and for this reason I named it Cockle Island.  I sent them to sound again, ordering them to fire a musket if they found good anchoring; we were then standing to the southward, with a fine breeze.  As soon as they fired I tacked and stood in:  they told me they had 50 fathom when they fired.  I tacked again, and made all the sail I could to get out, being near some rocky islands and shoals to leeward of us.  The breeze increased, and I thought we were out of danger; but, having a shoal just by us, and the wind falling again, I ordered the boat to tow us, and by their help we got clear from it.  We had a strong tide setting to the westward.

Cockles of seventy-eight pound weight.

At 1 o’clock, being past the shoal and finding the tide setting to the westward, I anchored in 35 fathom, coarse sand with small coral and shells.  Being nearest to Cockle Island I immediately sent both the boats thither; one to cut wood, and the other to fish.  At 4 in the afternoon, having a small breeze at south-south-west, I made a sign for my boats to come aboard.  They brought some wood and a few small cockles, none of them exceeding 10 pound weight; whereas the shell of the great one weighed 78 pound; but it was now high-water and therefore they could get no bigger.  They also brought on board some pigeons, of which we found plenty on all the islands where we touched in these seas.  Also in many places we saw many large bats, but killed none, except those I mentioned at Pulo Sabuda.  As our boats came aboard we weighed and made sail, steering east-south-east as long as the wind held; in the morning we found we had got 4 or 5 leagues to the east of the place where we weighed.  We stood to and fro till 11; and, finding that we lost ground, anchored in 42 fathom, coarse gravelly sand with some coral.  This morning we thought we saw a sail.

Pigeon island.