killed and eat: They seemed to us very good, only tasted somewhat
fishly. I sailed along that island to the southward, and about the
south-west side of the island there seemed to me to be a good place for
ships to ride; I would have had the boat out to have gone into the
harbour, but the wind blew fresh, and they would not agree to go with
it. Sailing a little further, keeping the lead, and having six
and-twenty and seven-and-twenty fathoms water, until we came to a place
where we saw the weeds ride, heaving the lead again, found but seven
fathoms water. Fearing danger went about the ship there; were then
fearfull to stay by the land any longer, it being all rocky ground, but
the harbour seemed to be a good place for shipps to ride there; in the
island, seeming likewise to have water enough, there seemed to me to be
harbour for five hundred sail of ships. The going in but narrow, and the
north side of the entrance shallow water that I could see, but I verily
believe that there is water enough for any ship to go in on the south
side, for there cannot be so great a lack of water, but must needs
scoure a channel away at the ebb deep enough for shipping to go in. I
would have had them stood upon a wind all night, but they told me they
were not come out to go upon discovery. We saw likewise another island
by this that night, which made me think them to be the Sibble D'wards."

[Footnote 27: Bougainville, who had the command of the expedition here
referred to, says, "The same illusion which made Hawkins, Woods Rogers,
and others believe that these isles were covered with wood, acted
likewise upon my fellow voyagers. We were surprised when we landed, to
see that what we took for woods as we sailed along the coast, was
nothing but bushes of a tall rush, standing very close together. The
bottom of its stalks being dried, got the colour of a dead leaf to the
height of about five feet; and from thence springs the tuft of rushes,
which crown this stalk; so that at a distance, these stalks together