, [tamarinds,] as large as an English bean-cod, having a very
sour taste, and reckoned good against the scurvy. The men of our
admiral, having more leisure than ours, gathered some of this fruit for
their own use. We saw likewise here abundance of a plant, hardly to be
distinguished from the _sempervivum_ of Socotora, whence the Socotrine
aloes is made; but I know not if the savage natives of this island have
any knowledge of its use. The natives, for what reason I know not, came
not near us, so that we got not here any beef or mutton, though oxen
used to be had here for a dollar a-piece. But we were told the
disorderly fellows of the Union had improvidently given whatever the
savages asked, so that scarcely any are now to be had even for ten
shillings each. Though savage, the people of this island are not
ignorant in ordering their men in battle array, as was experienced by
the Union at Jungomar: But in all parts of the island, it is necessary
for the Christians to be very much on their guard, for the natives are
very treacherous.

We left St Augustine bay on the 9th September, leaving the Union still
there. The 29th, the wind being E.S.E. and the current, as I judged,
setting S.W. we were entangled with a lee-shore, which we called the
Carribas,[350] being several small islands with sundry ledges of rocks
among them, only to be discovered by the breaking of the waves upon
them. These are between 10 deg. and 11 deg. S. lat. and we spent six days before
we could get disengaged from among them, the wind all that time being
E.N.E. or E.S.E. still forcing us to leewards, though using every effort
by towing and otherwise to get off. The great danger arose from the
strength of the current, and the want of any place where we could
anchor; as, although we had ground near the rocks, it was very deep and
foul. There are several of these islands, mostly full of trees. Every
night after dark, we could see fires on shore made by the natives, but
we had no inclination to go ashore to speak with them. When it pleased
God that we got clear of this danger, we found the current to our
amazement carry us to the northwards, as much more in our estimation as
we made our ship's way; so that when we judged by the log we had gone
fifteen leagues, we had actually made thirty leagues.

[Footnote 350: The Karribas islands on the coast of Zanjibar, between
Cape Del Gada and Quiloa bay.--E.]

The 9th October we lost the current, except it might