I could not pretend to it under
my present circumstances.

Being near the island to the northward of the volcano, I sent my boat to
sound, thinking to anchor here, but she returned and brought me word,
that they had no ground till they met with a reef of coral rocks about a
mile from the shore, then I bore away to the north side of the island,
where we found no anchoring neither. We saw several people, and some
cocoa-nut trees, but could not send ashore for want of my pinnace, which
was out of order. In the evening I stood off to sea, to be at such a
distance that I might not be driven by any current upon the shoals of
this island, if it should prove calm. We had but little wind, especially
the beginning of the night; but in the morning I found myself so far to
the west of the island, that the wind being at east-south-east, I could
not fetch it, wherefore I kept on to the southward, and stemmed with the
body of a high island about eleven or twelve leagues long, lying to the
southward of that which I before designed for. I named this island Sir
George Rook's Island.

We also saw some other islands to the westward, which may be better seen
in my draft of these lands than here described; but seeing a very small
island lying to the north-west of the long island which was before us,
and not far from it. I steered away for that, hoping to find anchoring
there; and having but little wind, I sent my boat before to sound, which,
when we were about two miles' distance from the shore, came on board and
brought me word that there was good anchoring in thirty or forty fathom
water, a mile from the isle, and within a reef of the rocks which lay in
a half-moon, reaching from the north part of the island to the
south-east; so at noon we got in and anchored in thirty-six fathom, a
mile from the isle.

In the afternoon I sent my boat ashore to the island, to see what
convenience there was to haul our vessel ashore in order to be mended,
and whether we could catch any fish. My men in the boat rowed about the
island, but could not land by reason of the rocks and a great surge
running in upon the shore. We found variation here, 8 degrees 25 minutes
west.

I designed to have stayed among these islands till I got my pinnace
refitted; but having no more than one man who had skill to work upon her,
I saw she would be a long time in repairing (which was one great reason
why I could not prosecute my discoveries further); and the easte