morning watch, threw the deep lead in 25
fathoms, sandy bottom, green, white and red. About ten o'clock we had
20 fathoms with the same ground. The atmosphere was thick and hazy.
The latitude we supposed was 55 deg. 19'. We were now certainly on the
Doggerbank. We caught many young _spier hayties_, which the English
call _dogs_, and because large numbers of these fish always keep
there, the bank, which is very large and almost makes the figure of a
fishing boat, is called the Doggerbank. At four o'clock we had 18
fathoms, and in the evening 17. The course still south-southeast, and
the wind northeast, breezy and calm, intermingled. In the night the
deep lead was thrown several times, and we found 19, 18, 15 and 14
fathoms of water.

_10th, Tuesday._ The wind blew from almost all points; at ten o'clock
it was northeast and east-northeast, with 12, 11, 10, 9-1/2 fathoms
of water. The latitude was 54 deg. 44'. We saw several large ships and
heard heavy firing of guns which made our captain and others very
serious, for we heard 40 or 50 shots. Seeing a ship behind us, we let
the sails run and waited for her. On her approaching us, we found she
was a Dutch flute;[451] and when we spoke her, they said they were
from Muscovy, bound for Amsterdam. We wished with our whole hearts we
were on board of her with our goods, for we should then sooner have
been home. There was a rolling sea, so that there was no prospect of
being put aboard of her; besides, the captain would not have been
willing. They could not tell us much news. We asked where they
reckoned they were, and they said not far from where we knew, that
they were on the Doggerbank. In the evening we found the water deeper
than 20 fathoms, and afterwards 25, at midnight 30, and in the day
watch 45, with a bottom of fine sand.

[Footnote 451: See p. 21, note 1.]

_11th, Wednesday._ In the forenoon, found the water more shallow, 25,
23 and 20 fathoms, and we therefore believed we had passed from the
Doggerbank to the Welle,[452] another bank so called. We obtained a
good observation, and the latitude was 54 deg. net; the ship's altitude 5'
being deducted, left 53 deg. 55', which agreed very well with our chart,
with the depth, and our reckoning. The distance was put at 40 miles.
We saw many ships around us, but could speak none. It continued calm
until evening, when we found 20 and afterwards 17 fathom water, over a
coarse red and white sandy bottom, mixed with small stone