e forced out to sea by a violent storm,
which lasted till the 29th, when we made the best of our way back to the
Bashees, which we reached on the 1st October. This last storm so
disheartened our men, that they resolved to give up the design of
cruising before Manilla; and, by the persuasions of Captain Read, who
now commanded, and Captain Teat, our master, it was determined to sail
for Cape Comorin, and thence into the Red Sea. As the eastern monsoon
was at hand, our nearest and best way had been to pass through the
Straits of Malacca; but Teat persuaded the men to go round by the east
side of the Philippines, and thence, keeping south of the Spice islands,
to pass into the Indian ocean by the south of Timor.

We sailed from the Bashees on the 3d October, by the east of the
Philippines, and on the 15th, being to the south of Luconia, directed
our course west for Mindanao. On the 16th we anchored between two small
isles, in lat. 5 deg. 10' N. four leagues from the island of Mindanao. While
here, we learnt from a young prince of one of the isles, that Captain
Swan and some of his men were still at Mindanao, and in great esteem for
their services against the Alfoores: but I was since informed, that he
and his surgeon, when going on board a Dutch ship in the road, were
overset by the natives and drowned, by order of rajah Laut, as we
supposed, who had seized all his gold.

We sailed on the 2d November for Celebes, and anchored at its N.E. end
on the 9th. The 30th, while steering between two shoals, in lat. 3 deg. S.
ten leagues from Celebes, we saw three waterspouts towards evening. A
waterspout is a piece of a cloud hanging down in a sloping direction,
sometimes bending like a bow, but never perpendicular. Opposite to its
extremity the sea begins to foam, and the water is then seen gently
moving round in a circle, increasing to a rapid whirling motion, rising
upwards, an hundred paces in circumference at the bottom, but lessening
gradually upwards to the size of a spout, through which the sea-water
appears to be conveyed into the cloud, as is manifest by its blackness
and increase of bulk. After this the cloud, which was before immoveable,
drives along for half an hour, accompanied by the spout. When the
sucking is over, and breaks off, all the water which was below the
spout, or pendulous cloud, falls again into the sea with a terrible
clashing noise. These spouts are, however, more frightful than
dangerous.

We had si