ast all night. The next morning, as soon as it was light,
we made all the sail we could, and steered away east-south-east, as the
land lay, being fair in sight of it, and not above seven leagues'
distance. We passed by many small low woody islands which lay between us
and the main, not laid down in our drafts. We found variation 9 degrees
50 minutes east.

The 28th we had many violent tornadoes, wind, rain, and some spouts, and
in the tornadoes the wind shifted. In the night we had fair weather, but
more lightning than we had seen at any time this voyage. This morning we
left a large high island on our larboard side, called in the Dutch drafts
Wishart's Isle, about six leagues from the main; and, seeing many smokes
upon the main, I therefore steered towards it.

The mainland at this place is high and mountainous, adorned with tall,
flourishing trees; the sides of the hills had many large plantations and
patches of clear land, which, together with the smoke we saw, were
certain signs of its being well inhabited; and I was desirous to have
some commerce with the inhabitants. Being nigh shore, we saw first one
proa; a little after, two or three more, and at last a great many boats
came from all the adjacent bays. When they were forty-six in number they
approached so near us that we could see each other's signs and hear each
other speak, though we could not understand them, nor they us. They made
signs for us to go in towards the shore, pointing that way. It was
squally weather, which at first made me cautious of going too near; but
the weather beginning to look pretty well, I endeavoured to get into a
bay ahead of us, which we could have got into well enough at first; but
while we lay by, we were driven so far to leeward that now it was more
difficult to get in. The natives lay in their proas round us; to whom I
showed beads, knives, glasses, to allure them to come nearer. But they
would not come so nigh as to receive anything from us; therefore I threw
out some things to them, viz., a knife fastened to a piece of board, and
a glass bottle corked up with some beads in it, which they took up, and
seemed well pleased. They often struck their left breast with their
right hand, and as often held up a black truncheon over their heads,
which we thought was a token of friendship, wherefore we did the like.
And when we stood in towards their shore, they seemed to rejoice; but
when we stood off, they frowned, yet kept u