At seven o’clock a breeze sprung up at S.S.W. with which having weighed, we stood to the N.E. between Thwart-the-way-Island and the Cap, sounding from eighteen to 2 twenty-eight fathom: we had but little wind all night, and having a strong current against us, we got no further by eight in the morning than Bantam Point. At this time the wind came to the N.E. and obliged us to anchor in two-and twenty. fathom, at about the distance of two miles from the shore; the point bore N.E. by E. distant one league, and here we found a strong current setting to the N.W. In the morning, we had seen the Dutch packet standing after us, but when the wind shifted to the N.E. she bore away.

At six o’clock in the evening, the wind having obliged us to continue at anchor, one of the country boats came along side of us, on board of which was the Master of the packet. He seemed to have two motives for his visit, one to take an account of the ship, and the other to sell us refreshments; for in the boat were turtle, fowls, ducks, parrots, paroquets, rice-birds, monkies, and other articles, which they held at a very high price, and brought to a bad market, for our Savu stock was not yet expended: however, I gave a Spanish dollar for a small turtle, which weighed about six and thirty pounds; I gave also a dollar for ten large fowls, and afterwards bought fifteen more at the same price; for a dollar we might also have bought two monkies, or a whole cage of rice-birds. The Master of the sloop brought with him two books, in one of which he desired that any of our officers would write down the name of the ship and its Commander, with that of the place from which she sailed, and of the port to which she was bound, with such other particulars relating to themselves, as they might think proper, for the information of any of our friends that should come after us: and in the other he entered the names of the ship and the Commander, himself, in order to transmit them to the Governor and Council of the Indies. We perceived that in the first book many ships, particularly Portuguese, had made entries of the same kind with that for which it was presented to us. Mr. Hicks, however, having written the name of the ship, only added "from Europe." He took notice of this, but said, that he was satisfied with any thing we thought fit to write, it being intended merely for the information of those who should enquire after us from motives of friendship.

Voyaging Accounts