clouds, and we had some rain, which would last a quarter of an hour at a
time, and then it would blow very fierce while the squalls of rain were
over our heads, but as soon as they were gone the wind was by much
abated, the stress of the storm being over; we sounded several times, but
had no ground till eight o'clock, August the 4th, in the evening, and
then had sixty fathom water, coral ground. At ten we had fifty-six
fathom, fine sand. At twelve we had fifty-five fathom, fine sand, of a
pale bluish colour. It was now pretty moderate weather, yet I made no
sail till morning, but then the wind veering about to the south-west, I
made sail and stood to the north, and at eleven o'clock the next day,
August 5th, we saw land again, at about ten leagues distant. This noon
we were in latitude 25 degrees 30 minutes, and in the afternoon our cook
died, an old man, who had been sick a great while, being infirm before we
came out of England.

The 6th of August, in the morning, we saw an opening in the land, and we
ran into it, and anchored in seven and a half fathom water, two miles
from the shore, clean sand. It was somewhat difficult getting in here,
by reason of many shoals we met with; but I sent my boat sounding before
me. The mouth of this sound, which I called Shark's Bay, lies in about
25 degrees south latitude, and our reckoning made its longitude from the
Cape of Good Hope to be about 87 degrees, which is less by one hundred
and ninety-five leagues than is usually laid down in our common draughts,
if our reckoning was right and our glasses did not deceive us. As soon
as I came to anchor in this bay, I sent my boat ashore to seek for fresh
water, but in the evening my men returned, having found none. The next
morning I went ashore myself, carrying pickaxes and shovels with me, to
dig for water, and axes to cut wood. We tried in several places for
water, but finding none after several trials, nor in several miles
compass, we left any further search for it, and spending the rest of the