dry Land. We saw many Fires in the
Night as we passed by Panay, a great Island settled by Spaniards,
and by the Fires up and down it seems to be well settled by them;
for this is a Spanish Custom, whereby they give Notice of any Danger
or the like from Sea; and 'tis probable they had seen our Ship the
day before. This is an unfrequented Coast, and 'tis rare to have any
Ship seen there. We touched not at Panay, nor any where else; tho'
we saw a great many small Islands to the Westward of us, and some
Shoals, but none of them laid down in our Draughts.

The 18th Day of Feb. we anchored at the N.W. end of the Island
Mindora, [23] in 10 Fathom-water, about 3 quarters of a Mile from
the Shore. Mindora is a large Island; the middle of it lying in
Lat. 13. about 40 Leagues long, stretching N.W. and S.E. It is High
and Mountainous, and not very Woody. At this Place where we anchored
the Land was neither very high nor low. There was a small Brook of
Water, and the Land by the Sea was very Woody, and the Trees high
and tall, but a League or two farther in, the Woods are very thin and
small. Here we saw great tracks of Hogs and Beef, and we saw some of
each, and hunted them; but they were wild, and we could kill none.

While we were here, there was a Canoa with 4 Indians came from
Manila. They were very shy of us a while: but at last, hearing us
speak Spanish, they came to us, and told us, that they were going to
a Fryer that liv'd at an Indian Village towards the S.E. end of the
Island. They told us also, that the Harbour of Manila is seldom or
never without 20 or 30 Sail of Vessels, most Chinese, some Portugueze,
and some few the Spaniards have of their own. They said, that when
they had done their business with the Fryer they would return to
Manila, and hoped to be back again at this place in 4 Days time. We
told them, that we came for a Trade with the Spaniards at Manila, and
should be glad if they would carry a Letter to some Merchant there,
which they promised to do. But this was only a pretence of ours,
to get out of them what intelligence we could as to their Shipping,
Strength, and the like, under Colour of seeking a Trade; for our
business was to pillage. Now if we had really designed to have Traded
there, this was as fair an opportunity as Men could have desired: for
these Men could have brought us to the Frier that they were going to,
and a small Present to him would have engaged him to do any kindness
in the way of