rricos_ full
of lemon juice; having opened a firkin of knives belonging to the
company, wherewith to buy limes. The afternoon of the 7th September we
went all on shore, to try if we could shoot an elephant; when we shot
seven or eight bullets into him, and made him bleed exceedingly, as
appeared by his track; but night coming on, we had to go on board
without effecting our purpose.

The best road and watering-place is the fourth bay to the east of Cape
Sierra Leona. The tide where we rode flowed W.S.W. and the highest water
upon a spring tide was at the least 12 feet. I made no observation of
the sun in this road, neither aboard nor on shore, though I proposed to
have so done several times; but the master made the road where we lay 8 deg.
36' N. Cape Sierra Leona being west, a league or four miles off. He also
made the variation 1 deg. 50' eastwards; but my instrument was out of order,
and I had not time to put it in repair.

We weighed from Sierra Leona the 14th September, with the wind all
easterly; but it soon fell calm, and we drove to the north, but drifted
again S.W. by S. with the ebb, and when the flood again made, we
anchored in 15-1/2 fathoms. Cape Sierra Leona bearing N.E. by E. about
seven leagues off. We had not less than ten fathoms all this day. The
16th we found the current setting N. by W.

The 17th December, about two p.m. we saw land, being the Table at
Saldanha, and bore up towards it till three, when I ordered the master
to steer E.S.E. and S.E. by E. to double the cape; but as all the
people, sick and sound, desired to put into Saldanha bay, we bore up for
it, and came to anchor about noon, [next day,] in 5-1/2 fathoms, the W.
point bearing W.N.W. the island N.N.E. and the sugar-loaf S.W. As soon
as we were anchored I sent on shore, when there was found engraven on a
rock, Captain Middleton, of the Consent, 24th July, 1607. I went on
shore the 21st; and bought 120 sheep, 12 bullocks, and two calves, of
which I allowed a proportional share to the Hector. This market
continued several days, in which we bought much cattle, paying in all
200 iron hoops for 450 sheep, 46 cows, 10 steers, 9 calves, and one
bull.

Sec. 2. _Departure from Saldanha, and Occurrences till the Ships parted
Company_.

By sun-rise of the first January, 1608, both vessels were under sail,
and by six p.m. were ten leagues _west-southerly_[159] from the south
point of the bay of Saldanha. The 19th we shipped much sea at the h