The next day we sailed close by an island, where we saw many smokes, and men in the bays, out of which came two or three canoes, taking much pains to overtake us, but they could not, though we went with an easy sail, and I could not now stay for them.  As I passed by the south-east point I sounded several times within a mile of the Sandy Bays, but had no ground.  About three leagues to the northward of the south-east point we opened a large, deep bay, secured from west-north-west and south-west winds.  There were two other islands that lay to the north-east of it, which secured the bay from north-east winds; one was but small, yet woody; the other was a league long, inhabited, and full of cocoa-nut trees.  I endeavoured to get into this bay, but there came such flaws off from the high land over it that I could not.  Besides, we had many hard squalls, which deterred me from it; and, night coming on, I would not run any hazard, but bore away to the small inhabited island, to see if we could get anchorage on the east side of it.  When we came there we found the island so narrow, that there could be no shelter; therefore I tacked and stood towards the greater island again; and being more than midway between both, I lay by, designing to endeavour for anchorage next morning.  Between seven and eight at night we spied a canoe close by us, and seeing no more, suffered her to come aboard.  She had three men in her, who brought off five cocoa-nuts, for which I gave each of them a knife and a string of beads, to encourage them to come off again in the morning:  but before these went away we saw two more canoes coming; therefore we stood away to the northward from them, and then lay by again till day.  We saw no more boats this night, neither designed to suffer any to come aboard in the dark.

By nine o’clock the next morning we were got within a league of the great island, but were kept off by violent gusts of wind.  These squalls gave us warning of their approach by the clouds which hung over the mountains, and afterwards descended to the foot of them; and then it is we expect them speedily.

On the 3rd of March, being about five leagues to leeward of the great island, we saw the mainland ahead, and another great high island to leeward of us, distant about seven leagues, which we bore away for.  It is called in the Dutch drafts Garret Dennis Isle.  It is about fourteen or fifteen leagues round, high and mountainous, and very woody.  Some trees appeared very large and tall, and the bays by the seaside are well stared with cocoa-nut trees, where we also saw some small houses.  The sides of the mountains are thickset with plantations, and the mould in the new-cleared land seemed to be of a brown-reddish colour.  This island is of no regular figure, but is full of points shooting forth into the sea, between which are many sandy bays, full of cocoa-nut trees.  The middle of the isle lies in 3 degrees 10 minutes south latitude.  It is very populous.  The