The 15th, in the morning, between twelve and two o’clock, it blew a very brisk gale at north-west, and looked very black in the south-west.  At two it flew about at once to the south-south-west, and rained very hard.  The wind settled some time at west-south-west, and we steered east-north-east till three in the morning; then the wind and rain abating, we steered east-half-north for fear of coming near the land.  Presently after, it being a little clear, the man at the bowsprit end called out, “Land on our starboard bow.”  We looked out and saw it plain:  I presently sounded, and had but ten fathom, soft ground.  The master, being somewhat scared, came running in haste with this news, and said it was best to anchor.  I told him no, but sound again; then we had twelve fathom; the next cast, thirteen and a half; the fourth, seventeen fathom; and then no ground with fifty fathom line.  However, we kept off the island, and did not go so fast but that we could see any other danger before we came nigh it; for here might have been more islands not laid down in my drafts besides this, for I searched all the drafts I had, if perchance I might find any island in the one which was not in the others, but I could find none near us.  When it was day we were about five leagues off the land we saw; but, I believe, not above five miles, or at most two leagues, off it when we first saw it in the night.

This is a small island, but pretty high; I named it Providence.  About five leagues to the southward of this there is another island, which is called William Scouten’s Island, and laid down in our drafts:  it is a high island, and about twenty leagues big.

It was by mere providence that we missed the small island; for, had not the wind come to west-south-west, and blown hard, so that we steered east-north-east, we had been upon it by our course that we steered before, if we could not have seen it.  This morning we saw many great trees and logs swim by us, which, it is probable, came out of some great rivers on the main.

On the 16th we crossed the line, and found variation 6 degrees 26 minutes east.  The 18th, by my observation at noon, we found that we had had a current setting to the southward, and probably that drew us in so nigh Scouten’s Island.  For this twenty-four hours we steered east-by-north with a large wind, yet made but an east-by-south half south course, though the variation was not above 7 degrees east.

The 21st we had a current setting to the northward, which is against the true trade monsoon, it being now near the full moon.  I did expect it here, as in all other places.  We had variation 8 degrees 45 minutes east.  The 22nd we found but little current, if any; it set to the southward.

On the 23rd, in the afternoon, we saw two snakes, and the next morning another passing by us, which was furiously assaulted by two fishes, that had kept us company five or six days; they were shaped like mackerel, and were about that bigness and length, and of a yellow-greenish colour.  The snake swam away from them very fast, keeping his head above water; the fish snapped at his tail, but when he turned himself, that fish would withdraw, and another would snap, so that by turns they kept him employed, yet he still defended himself, and swam away a great pace, till they were out of sight.