, to send my boat into the opening, and
sound before I would adventure in. We found several deep bays, but no
soundings within 2 miles of the shore; therefore I stood off again. Then,
seeing a rippling under our lee, I sent my boat to sound on it; which
returned in half an hour and brought me word that the rippling we saw was
only a tide, and that they had no ground there.

CHAPTER 5.

NAVIGATION AMONG THE ISLANDS.

THE AUTHOR'S RETURN FROM THE COAST OF NEW GUINEA.

The wind seeming to incline to east, as might be expected according to
the season of the year, I rather chose to shape my course as these winds
would best permit than strive to return the same way we came; which, for
many leagues, must have been against this monsoon: though indeed, on the
other hand, the dangers in that way we already knew; but what might be in
this by which we now proposed to return we could not tell.

A DEEP CHANNEL.

We were now in a channel about 8 on 9 leagues wide, having a range of
islands on the north side, and another on the south side, and very deep
water between, so that we had no ground. The 22nd of April in the morning
I sent my boat ashore to an island on the north side, and stood that way
with the ship. They found no ground till within a cable's length of the
shore, and then had coral rocks; so that they could not catch any fish,
though they saw a great many. They brought aboard a small canoe, which
they found adrift. They met with no game ashore save only one
party-coloured parakeet. The land is of an indifferent height; very
rocky, yet clothed with tall trees, whose bare roots run along upon the
rocks. Our people saw a pond of salt-water but found no fresh. Near this
island we met a pretty strong tide but found neither tide nor current off
at some distance.

On the 24th, being about 2 leagues from an island to the southward of us,
we came over a shoal on which we had but 5 fathom and a half. We did not
descry it till we saw the ground under us. In less than half an hour
before the boat had been sounding in discoloured water, but had no
ground. We manned the boat presently and towed the ship about; and then
sounding had 12, 15, and 17 fathom, and then no ground with our
hand-lead. The shoal was rocky; but in 12 and 15 fathom we had oazy
ground.

STRANGE TIDES.

We found here very strange tides that ran in streams, making a great sea;
and roaring so loud that we could hear them before they came within a
mile of u