ut from thence we found the currents more
gentle, and changing into every direction in the course of the
twenty-four hours.

Our course from noon of the 3d till noon of the 4th was N.N.E. eleven
leagues, the depths from 12 to 10-1/2 f. From noon this day till seven
at night, we made 5-1/2 leagues N. and then anchored in 9-1/2 f. We
weighed in the morning of the 5th. having but little wind and that
variable, till half an hour after six, when it sprung up fresh at S.W.
From four to nine a.m. we made three leagues N.E. 1/2 E. and from nine
till noon only half a league N.W. by N. This day at noon we were in lat.
3 deg. 30' S. when we descried a small island N.N.E. 1/2 E. four leagues
off, which appeared at first like a great tree rising out of the see.
From noon till six p.m. our course was five leagues N.W. We here saw two
or three hummocks like islands, N. by W. seven leagues off. From thence
till three a.m. of the 6th, we sailed W. six leagues. At six in the
evening of the 5th we had 9 f. which increased as we stood westwards in
the night, to 10, 11, and l2 f. and afterwards decreased to 8 f. where
we came to anchor. The stream by night set S.E. and by day N.W. We
weighed again at six a.m. of the 6th, and steered W.N.W. 1-1/2 league,
when we had sight of many hummocks rising like so many islands, but
which at length we perceived to be all one land. Coming now into 6-1/2
f. we altered our course to the N.E. making our course N.N.E. till noon,
about 2-1/2 leagues; at which time, by an observation of the sun, we
were in lat. 3 deg. 20' S. We were now in 8 f. and found the current to set
N.W. by W. About noon of this day, a junk belonging to Johor came up
with us, which had been at Cheribon in Java, and was returning to Johor.
The afternoon, we steered in with the eastern part of the hummocky land
of Banka, making our course N.N.E. 1/2 N. in which we came again to 8 f.
afterwards increasing regularly to 24 f. and then decreasing again to a
quarter less 7 f. when we came to anchor against the E. point of that
land, which bore from us N.N.E. 1/3 N. four leagues off.

We weighed in the morning of the 7th, and stood in nearer the point, in
hopes of being able to pass through between that island and one which
lay three leagues to the E. But in our way, we found the soundings,
after increasing from 7 to 17 f. to decrease again to 6 and to one-half
less 4 f. and about two miles off the point in the fair way we had only
six feet wa