saw _Pulo Tinga_. The 28th at three p.m. we had oosy
ground at twenty fathoms, having divers long islands on our starboard
and sundry small islands on our larboard, forming the straits of
China-bata, which we found to be truly laid down in a chart made by a
Hollander called _Jan Janson Mole_, which he gave to Mr Hippon, who gave
it to the company. _Pulo Bata_, one of these islands, is low land, and
is full of trees or bushes at the S.W. end.

A little before noon on the 29th, we perceived the colour of the water
a-head of the ship to change very much, by which observation we escaped
an imminent danger. This shoal seemed of a triangular shape, the S.W.
end being the sharpest, and is not far from the entrance into the
straits of _China-bata_. At noon our latitude was 4 deg. 6' N. At eight p.m.
we came to anchor in seven fathoms, the weather threatening to be foul
in the night, the place very full of shoals, and our experience little
or nothing. Before our anchor took hold, we had six 1/4, five 1/2, six,
and then seven fathoms, soft sandy ground.

In the morning of the 30th we spoke the Darling, then bound for
Coromandel, her company consisting of twenty-one English and nine
blacks. By her we first learnt of the death of Sir Henry Middleton, the
loss of the Trades-increase, and other incidents that had occurred
during our voyage to Japan. In the night of the 30th God mercifully
delivered us from imminent danger, as we passed under full sail close by
a sunken ledge of rocks, the top of which was only just above water
within a stone's throw of our ship; and had not the noise of the
breakers awakened us, we had not cleared our ship. We instantly let go
our anchor, being in a rapid current or tide-way, in seventeen fathoms
upon oozy ground. When morning broke on the 31st we had sight of the
high land of Sumatra, having an island a-stern, the ledge of rocks we
had passed on our starboard, and three small islands forming a triangle
on our larboard bow. We were about eight leagues off the high land of
Java, but could not then get into the straits of Sunda, as the wind was
quite fallen.

The 1st January, 1614, being quite calm, was mostly spent at anchor. The
2d, having a little wind, we set sail, and about eight o'clock fell in
with the Expedition, homewards bound for England, laden with pepper, by
which ship we wrote to our friends in England. The 3d we came to anchor
in the road of Bantam, end to our great grief found no lad