from it
4 or 5 leagues. It is very high, woody land, with some spots of savannah.
About 10 in the morning 6 or 7 canoes came off to us: most of them had no
more than one man in them; they were all black, with short curled hair;
having the same ornaments in their noses, and their heads so shaved and
painted, and speaking the same words, as the inhabitants of Cave's Island
before mentioned.

THE COAST DESCRIBED.

There was a headland to the southward of us beyond which, seeing no land,
I supposed that from thence the land trends away more westerly. This
headland lies in the latitude of 5 degrees 2 minutes south, and meridian
distance from Cape Mabo 1290 miles. In the night we lay by for fear of
over-shooting this headland. Between which and Cape St. Maries the land
is high, mountainous and woody; having many points of land shooting out
into the sea, which make so many fine bays. The coast lies
north-north-east and south-south-west.

The 9th in the morning a huge black man came off to us in a canoe but
would not come aboard. He made the same signs of friendship to us as the
rest we had met with; yet seemed to differ in his language, not using any
of those words which the others did. We saw neither smokes nor
plantations near this headland. We found here variation 1 degree east.

CAPE AND BAY ST. GEORGE.

In the afternoon, as we plied near the shore, 3 canoes came off to us;
one had 4 men in her, the others 2 apiece. That with the 4 men came
pretty nigh us, and showed us a coconut and water in a bamboo, making
signs that there was enough ashore where they lived; they pointed to the
place where they would have us go, and so went away. We saw a small round
pretty high island, about a league to the north of this headland, within
which there was a large deep bay, whither the canoes went; and we strove
to get thither before night, but could not; wherefore we stood off, and
saw land to the westward of this headland, bearing west by south half
south, distance about 10 leagues; and, as we thought, still more land
bearing south-west by south, distance 12 or 14 leagues: but, being
clouded, it disappeared and we thought we had been deceived. Before night
we opened the headland fair and I named it Cape St. George. The land from
hence trends away west-north-west about 10 leagues, which is as far as we
could see it; and the land that we saw to the westward of it in the
evening, which bore west by south half south, was another point