t descending from any dark cloud and therefore the most strange
to me; I never having seen the like before. It passed about a mile to
leeward of us and then broke. This was but a small spout, not strong nor
lasting; yet I perceived much wind in it as it passed by us. The current
still continued at north-west a little westerly, which I allowed to run a
mile per hour.

A CONJECTURE CONCERNING A NEW PASSAGE SOUTHWARD.

By an observation the 13th at noon I found myself 25 minutes to the
northward of my reckoning; whether occasioned by bad steerage, a bad
account, or a current, I could not determine; but was apt to judge it
might be a complication of all; for I could not think it was wholly the
current, the land here lying east by south, and west by north, or a
little more northerly and southerly. We had kept so nigh as to see it,
and at farthest had not been above 20 leagues from it, but sometimes much
nearer; and it is not probable that any current should set directly off
from a land. A tide indeed may; but then the flood has the same force to
strike in upon the shore as the ebb to strike off from it: but a current
must have set nearly alongshore either easterly or westerly; and if
anything northerly or southerly, it could be but very little in
comparison of its east or west course, on a coast lying as this doth;
which yet we did not perceive. If therefore we were deceived by a current
it is very probable that the land is here disjoined, and that there is a
passage through to the southward, and that the land from King William's
Cape to this place is an island, separated from New Guinea by some strait
as New Britain is by that which we came through. But this being at best
but a probable conjecture I shall insist no farther upon it.

KING WILLIAM'S ISLAND.

The 14th we passed by Schouten's Island and Providence Island, and found
still a very strong current setting to the north-west. On the 17th the we
saw a high mountain on the main that sent forth great quantities of smoke
from its top: this volcano we did not see in our voyage out. In the
afternoon we discovered King William's Island, and crowded all the sail
we could to get near it before night; thinking to lie to the eastward of
it till day, for fear of some shoals that lie at the west end of it.
Before night we got within 2 leagues of it and, having a fine gale of
wind and a light moon, I resolved to pass through in the night; which I
hoped to do before 12 o'clock if