of high trees close to the
shore, so that no one can know what place he falls in with, except by
means of the latitude. I think we ran 16 leagues that day, as we had all
night a stiff gale, with much thunder and lightning.

For most port of the 13th we ran E.S.E. along the coast, within two
leagues of the land, finding the shore all covered with tall trees to
the water's edge, and great rocks hard by the beach, on which the
billows continually broke in white foam, so high that the surf might
easily be seen at four leagues distance, and in such a manner that no
boat could possibly go to land. At noon our masters and pilots took the
altitude of the sun, by which they judged that we were 24 leagues beyond
the river Sestro to the eastwards, wherefore we hauled in towards the
shore and came to anchor within two English miles of the land in 15
fathoms, the water being so smooth that we might have rode with a
hawser. We employed the afternoon to rig out our boat with a sail, for
the purpose of sending her along shore in search of a place to take in
water, as we could not go back to the river Sestro, because the wind is
always contrary and the current sets continually to the eastwards. The
14th we weighed anchor and plied up along the coast to the W.N.W.
sending our boats close in shore to seek a watering-place, which they
found about noon. At this time, being far out to sea, we fell in with
several small long and narrow boats or canoes of the natives, in each of
which was one man only. We gave them bread, which they accepted and eat
readily. About 4 P.M. our boats came off to us with fresh water; and at
night we anchored off the mouth of a river. The 15th we weighed and
stood near the shore, sounding all the way, finding sometimes a rocky
bottom, at other times good ground, and never less than seven fathoms.
Finally, we cast anchor within an English mile of the shore, in seven
and a half fathoms, directly over against the mouth of the river, and
then sent our boats for water, which they got very good after rowing a
mile up the river. This river, called St Vincent in the chart, is by
estimation about eight leagues beyond the river Sestro, but is so hard
to find that a boat may be within half a mile of it without being able
to discover any river, as a ledge of rocks of greater extent than its
breadth lies directly before its mouth, so that the boats had to go a
considerable way between that ledge and the shore before coming to i