hem we caught one which was 11 foot
long. The space between its two eyes was 20 inches, and 18 inches from
one corner of his mouth to the other. Its maw was like a leather sack,
very thick, and so tough that a sharp knife could scarce cut it: in which
we found the head and bones of a hippopotamus; the hairy lips of which
were still sound and not putrefied, and the jaw was also firm, out of
which we plucked a great many teeth, 2 of them 8 inches long and as big
as a man's thumb, small at one end, and a little crooked; the rest not
above half so long. The maw was full of jelly which stank extremely:
however I saved for a while the teeth and the shark's jaw: the flesh of
it was divided among my men; and they took care that no waste should be
made of it.
It was the 7th of August when we came into Shark's Bay; in which we
anchored at three several places, and stayed at the first of them (on the
west side of the bay) till the 11th. During which time we searched about,
as I said, for fresh water, digging wells, but to no purpose. However we
cut good store of firewood at this first anchoring-place; and my company
were all here very well refreshed with raccoons, turtle, shark, and other
fish, and some fowls; so that we were now all much brisker than when we
came in hither. Yet still I was for standing farther into the bay, partly
because I had a mind to increase my stock of fresh water, which was began
to be low; and partly for the sake of discovering this part of the coast.
I was invited to go further by seeing from this anchoring-place all open
before me; which therefore I designed to search before I left the bay. So
on the 11th about noon I steered farther in, with an easy sail because we
had but shallow water: we kept therefore good looking-out for fear of
shoals; sometimes shortening, sometimes deepening the water. About 2 in
the afternoon we saw the land ahead that makes the south of the bay, and
before night we had again shoalings from that shore: and therefore
shortened sail and stood off and on all night under, 2 topsails,
continually sounding, having never more than 10 fathom, and seldom less
than 7. The water deepened and shoaled so very gently that in heaving the
lead 5 or 6 times we should scarce have a foot difference. When we came
into 7 fathom either way we presently went about. From this south part of
the bay we could not see the land from whence we came in the afternoon:
and this land we found to be an island o
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