2 leagues
to the west of it, which before appeared all in one. The main seemed to
be high land, trending to the westward.

A BURNING ISLAND.

On Tuesday the 2nd of April about 8 in the morning we discovered a high
peaked island to the westward which seemed to smoke at its top. The next
day we passed by the north side of the burning island and saw a smoke
again at its top; but, the vent lying on the south side of the peak, we
could not observe it distinctly, nor see the fire. We afterwards opened 3
more islands and some land to the southward, which we could not well tell
whether it were islands or part of the main. These islands are all high,
full of fair trees and spots of green savannahs; as well the burning isle
as the rest; but the burning isle was more round and peaked at top, very
fine land near the sea, and for two-thirds up it. We also saw another
isle sending forth a great smoke at once; but it soon vanished, and we
saw it no more. We saw also among these islands 3 small vessels with
sails, which the people on New Britain seem wholly ignorant of.

A STRANGE SPOUT.

The 11th at noon, having a very good observation, I found myself to the
northward of my reckoning; and thence concluded that we had a current
setting north-west, or rather more westerly, as the land lies. From that
time to the next morning we had fair clear weather and a fine moderate
gale from south-east to east by north: but at daybreak the clouds began
to fly, and it lightned very much in the east, south-east and north-east.
At sun-rising the sky looked very red in the east near the horizon; and
there were many black clouds both to the south and north of it. About a
quarter of an hour after the sun was up there was a squall to the
windward of us; when on a sudden one of our men on the forecastle called
out that he saw something astern, but could not tell what: I looked out
for it and immediately saw a spout beginning to work within a quarter of
a mile of us, exactly in the wind. We presently put right before it. It
came very swiftly, whirling the water up in a pillar about 6 or 7 yards
high. As yet I could not see any pendulous cloud from whence it might
come; and was in hopes it would soon lose its force. In 4 or 5 minutes
time it came within a cable's length of us and passed away to leeward;
and then I saw a long pale stream coming down to the whirling water. This
stream was about the bigness of a rainbow: the upper end seemed vastly
high, no