fire to the bark and
proa, hoisted in our boats, and got under sail, steering away for the
south end of the island of Formosa and taking our leave for the third and
last time of the island of Tinian.

CHAPTER 30.
CHINESE FISHING FLEETS--ARRIVAL AT MACAO.

The eastern monsoon was now, we reckoned, fairly settled, and we had a
constant gale blowing right upon our stern, so that we generally ran from
forty to fifty leagues a day. But we had a large hollow sea pursuing us,
which occasioned the ship to labour much, whence we received great damage
in our rigging, which was grown very rotten, and our leak was augmented;
but happily for us our people were now in full health, so that there were
no complaints of fatigue, but all went through their attendance on the
pumps, and every other duty of the ship, with ease and cheerfulness.

FORMOSA.

The 3rd of November, about four in the afternoon, we saw the island of
Botel Tobago Xima, and by eleven the next morning got a sight of the
southern part of the island of Formosa. In the evening we were surprised
with a view of what we at first sight conceived to have been breakers,
but on a stricter examination we found them to be only a great number of
fires on the island of Formosa. These, we imagined, were intended by the
inhabitants of that island as signals for us to touch there; but that
suited not our views, we being impatient to reach the port of Macao as
soon as possible. From Formosa we steered west-north-west, and sometimes
still more northerly, and on the 5th of November we at last about
midnight, got sight of the mainland of China, bearing north by west, four
leagues distant.

We then brought the ship to, with her head to the sea, proposing to wait
for the morning; and before sunrise we were surprised to find ourselves
in the midst of an incredible number of fishing-boats, which seemed to
cover the surface of the sea as far as the eye could reach. I may well
style their number incredible, since I cannot believe, upon the lowest
estimate, that there were so few as 6,000 most of them manned with five
hands, and none with less than three. Nor was this swarm of fishing
vessels peculiar to this spot, for, as we ran onto the westward, we found
them as abundant on every part of the coast. We at first doubted not but
we should procure a pilot from them to carry us to Macao; but though many
of them came close to the ship and we endeavoured to tempt them by
showing them a number