aid down in 8
degrees 10 minutes. My true course from Babao is east 25 degrees north,
distance one hundred and eighty-three miles. We sounded several times
when near Omba, but had no ground. On the north-east point of Omba we saw
four or five men, and a little further three pretty houses on a low
point, but did not go ashore.

At five this afternoon we had a tornado which yielded much rain, thunder
and lightning; yet we had but little wind. The 24th in the morning we
caught a large shark, which gave all the ship's company a plentiful meal.

A BURNING ISLAND.

The 27th we saw the burning island, it lies in latitude 6 degrees 36
minutes south; it is high and but small. It runs from the sea a little
sloping towards the top; which is divided in the middle into two peaks,
between which issued out much smoke: I have not seen more from any
volcano. I saw no trees; but the north side appeared green, and the rest
looked very barren.

THEIR MISSING THE TURTLE ISLES.

Having passed the burning island I shaped my course for two islands
called Turtle Isles which lie north-east by east a little easterly, and
distant about fifty leagues from the burning isle. I, fearing the wind
might veer to the eastward of the north, steered 20 leagues north-east,
then north-east by east. On the 28th we saw two small low islands called
Luca Paros, to the north of us. At noon I accounted myself 20 leagues
short of the Turtle Isles.

BANDA ISLES.

The next morning, being in the latitude of the Turtle Islands, we looked
out sharp for them but saw no appearance of any island till 11 o'clock;
when we saw an island at a great distance. At first we supposed it might
be one of the Turtle Isles: but it was not laid down true, neither in
latitude nor longitude from the burning isle, nor from the Luca Paros,
which last I took to be a great help to guide me, they being laid down
very well from the burning isle, and that likewise in true latitude and
distance from Omba: so that I could not tell what to think of the island
now in sight; we having had fair weather, so that we could not pass by
the Turtle Isles without seeing them; and this in sight was much too far
off for them. We found variation 1 degree 2 minutes east. In the
afternoon I steered north-east by east for the islands that we saw. At 2
o'clock I went and looked over the fore-yard, and saw 2 islands at much
greater distance than the Turtle Islands are laid down in my charts; one
of them was