The 27th day we had twenty fathom water all night, yet we could not see land till one in the afternoon from our topmast-head.  By three we could just discern land from our quarter-deck; we had then sixteen fathom.  The wind was at north, and we steered east-by-north, which is but one point in on the land; yet we decreased our water very fast, for at four we had but nine fathom, the next cast but seven, which frightened us; and we then tacked instantly and steed off, but in a short time the wind coming at north-west and west-north-west, we tacked again and steered north-north-east, and then deepened our water again, and had all night from fifteen to twenty fathom.

The 28th day we had between twenty and forty fathom.  We saw no land this day, but saw a great many snakes and some whales.  We saw also some boobies and noddy-birds, and in the night caught one of these last.  It was of another shape and colour than any I had seen before.  It had a small long bill, as all of them have, flat feet like ducks’ feet, its tail forked like a swallow, but longer and broader, and the fork deeper than that of the swallow, with very long wings; the top or crown of the head of this noddy was coal-black, having also small black streaks round about and close to the eyes; and round these streaks on each side, a pretty broad white circle.  The breast, belly, and under part of the wings of this noddy were white, and the back and upper part of its wings of a faint black or smoke colour.  Noddies are seen in most places between the tropics, as well in the East Indies and on the coast of Brazil, as in the West Indies.  They rest ashore at night, and therefore we never see them far at sea, not above twenty or thirty leagues, unless driven off in a storm.  When they come about a ship they commonly perch in the night, and will sit still till they are taken by the seamen.  They build on cliffs against the sea, or rocks.

The 30th day, being in latitude 18 degrees 21 minutes, we made the land again, and saw many great smokes near the shore; and having fair weather and moderate breezes, I steered in towards it.  At four in the afternoon I anchored in eight fathom water, clear sand, about three leagues and a half from the shore.  I presently sent my boat to sound nearer in, and they found ten fathom about a mile farther in, and from thence still farther in the water decreased gradually to nine, eight, seven, and at two miles distance to six fathom.  This evening we saw an eclipse of the moon, but it was abating before the moon appeared to us; for the horizon was very hazy, so that we could not see the moon till she had been half an hour above the horizon; and at two hours twenty-two minutes after sunset, by the reckoning of our glasses, the eclipse was quite gone, which was not of many digits.  The moon’s centre was then 33 degrees 40 minutes high.