n we got within
three leagues of the north-west cape of New Guinea, called by the Dutch
Cape Mabo. Off this cape there lies a small woody island, and many
islands of different sizes to the north and north-east of it. This part
of New Guinea is high land, adorned with tall trees, that appeared very
green and flourishing. The cape itself is not very high, but ends in a
low sharp point, and on either side there appears another such point at
equal distances, which makes it resemble a diamond. This only appears
when you are abreast of the middle point, and then you have no ground
within three leagues of the shore.

In the afternoon we passed by the cape and stood over for the islands.
Before it was dark we were got within a league of the westernmost, but
had no ground with fifty fathom of line: however, fearing to stand nearer
in the dark, we tacked and stood to the east and plied all night. The
next morning we were got five or six leagues to the eastward of that
island, and, having the wind easterly, we stood in to the northward among
the islands, sounded, and had no ground; then I sent in my boat to sound,
and they had ground with fifty fathom near a mile from the shore. We
tacked before the boat came aboard again, for fear of a shoal that was
about a mile to the east of that island the boat went to, from whence
also a shoal-point stretched out itself till it met the other: they
brought with them such a cockle as I have mentioned in my "Voyage Round
the World" found near Celebes, and they saw many more, some bigger than
that which they brought aboard, as they said, and for this reason I named
it Cockle Island. I sent them to sound again, ordering them to fire a
musket if they found good anchoring; we were then standing to the
southward, with a fine breeze. As soon as they fired, I tacked and stood
in; they told me they had fifty fathom when they fired. I tacked again,
and made all the sail I could to get out, being near some rocky islands
and shoals to leeward of us. The breeze increased, and I thought we were
out of danger, but having a shoal just by us, and the wind failing again,
I ordered the boat to tow us, and by their help we got clear from it. We
had a strong tide setting to the westward.

At one o'clock, being past the shoal, and finding the tide setting to the
westward, I anchored in thirty-five fathom coarse sand, with small coral
and shells. Being nearest to Cockle Island, I immediately sent both th