they fired I tacked and stood in: they told me they
had 50 fathom when they fired. I tacked again, and made all the sail I
could to get out, being near some rocky islands and shoals to leeward of
us. The breeze increased, and I thought we were out of danger; but,
having a shoal just by us, and the wind falling again, I ordered the boat
to tow us, and by their help we got clear from it. We had a strong tide
setting to the westward.

COCKLES OF SEVENTY-EIGHT POUND WEIGHT.

At 1 o'clock, being past the shoal and finding the tide setting to the
westward, I anchored in 35 fathom, coarse sand with small coral and
shells. Being nearest to Cockle Island I immediately sent both the boats
thither; one to cut wood, and the other to fish. At 4 in the afternoon,
having a small breeze at south-south-west, I made a sign for my boats to
come aboard. They brought some wood and a few small cockles, none of them
exceeding 10 pound weight; whereas the shell of the great one weighed 78
pound; but it was now high-water and therefore they could get no bigger.
They also brought on board some pigeons, of which we found plenty on all
the islands where we touched in these seas. Also in many places we saw
many large bats, but killed none, except those I mentioned at Pulo
Sabuda. As our boats came aboard we weighed and made sail, steering
east-south-east as long as the wind held; in the morning we found we had
got 4 or 5 leagues to the east of the place where we weighed. We stood to
and fro till 11; and, finding that we lost ground, anchored in 42 fathom,
coarse gravelly sand with some coral. This morning we thought we saw a
sail.

PIGEON ISLAND.

In the afternoon I went ashore on a small woody island about 2 leagues
from us. Here I found the greatest number of pigeons that ever I saw
either in the east or West Indies, and small cockles in the sea round the
island in such quantities that we might have laden the boat in an hour's
time: these were not above 10 or 12 pound weight. We cut some wood and
brought off cockles enough for all the ship's company; but having no
small shot we could kill no pigeons. I returned about 4 o'clock; and then
my gunner and both mates went thither, and in less than three-quarters of
an hour they killed and brought off 10 pigeons. Here is a tide: the flood
sets west and the ebb east; but the latter is very faint and but of small
continuance. And so we found it ever since we came from Timor.

THE WIND HEREABOUTS.