st a little southerly; but, not being sure of it, I steered
west-north-west all night, and kept going on with an easy sail, intending
to coast along the shore at a distance. At 10 o'clock I saw a great fire
bearing north-west by west, blazing up in a pillar, sometimes very high
for 3 or 4 minutes, then falling quite down for an equal space of time;
sometimes hardly visible, till it blazed up again. I had laid me down
having been indisposed this 3 days: but upon a sight of this my chief
mate called me; I got up and viewed it for about half an hour and knew it
to be a burning hill by its intervals: I charged them to look well out,
having bright moonlight. In the morning I found that the fire we had seen
the night before was a burning island; and steered for it. We saw many
other islands, one large high island, and another smaller, but pretty
high. I stood near the volcano and many small low islands with some
shoals.

A NEW PASSAGE FOUND.

March the 25th 1700 in the evening we came within 3 leagues of this
burning hill, being at the same time 2 leagues from the main. I found a
good channel to pass between them, and kept nearer the main than the
island. At 7 in the evening I sounded, and had 52 fathom fine sand and
oaze. I stood to the northward to get clear of this strait, having but
little wind and fair weather. The island all night vomited fire and smoke
very amazingly; and at every belch we heard a dreadful noise like
thunder, and saw a flame of fire after it, the most terrifying that ever
I saw. The intervals between its belches were about half a minute, some
more, others less: neither were these pulses or eruptions alike; for some
were but faint convulsions in comparison of the more vigorous; yet even
the weakest vented a great deal of fire; but the largest made a roaring
noise, and sent up a large flame 20 or 30 yards high; and then might be
seen a great stream of fire running down to the foot of the island, even
to the shore. From the furrows made by this descending fire we could in
the daytime see great smokes arise, which probably were made by the
sulphureous matter thrown out of the funnel at the top which, tumbling
down to the bottom and there lying in a heap, burned till either consumed
or extinguished; and as long as it burned and kept its heat so long the
smoke ascended from it; which we perceived to increase or decrease,
according to the quantity of matter discharged from the funnel. But the
next night, bei