Then it would blow a
brisk gale so that we could scarce carry our top-sails double-reefed; and
it would continue thus till three in the afternoon, when it would
decrease again. The weather was fair all the while, not a cloud to be
seen, but very hazy, especially nigh the horizon. We sounded several
times this 20th day, and at first had no ground, but had afterwards from
fifty-two to forty-five fathom, coarse brown sand, mixed with small brown
and white stones, with dints besides in the tallow.
The 21st day also we had small land breezes in the night, and sea breezes
in the day, and as we saw some sea-snakes every day, so this day we saw a
great many, of two different sorts or shapes. One sort was yellow, and
about the bigness of a man's wrist, about four feet long, having a flat
tail about four fingers broad. The other sort was much smaller and
shorter, round, and spotted black and yellow. This day we sounded
several times, and had forty-five fathom, sand. We did not make the land
till noon, and then saw it first from our topmast head; it bore south-
east by east about nine leagues distance, and it appeared like a cape or
head of land.
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