the shore. I presently sent my boat to sound nearer in, and they found 10
fathom about a mile farther in; and from thence still farther in the
water decreased gradually to 9, 8, 7, and 2 mile distance to 6 fathom.
This evening we saw an eclipse of the moon, but it was abating before the
moon appeared to us; for the horizon was very hazy, so that we could not
see the moon till she had been half an hour above the horizon: and at 2
hours, 22 minutes after sunset, by the reckoning of our glasses, the
eclipse was quite gone, which was not of many digits. The moon's centre
was then 33 degrees 40 minutes high.

The 31st of August betimes in the morning I went ashore with 10 or 11 men
to search for water. We went armed with muskets and cutlasses for our
defence, expecting to see people there; and carried also shovels and
pickaxes to dig wells. When we came near the shore we saw 3 tall black
naked men on the sandy bay ahead of us: but as we rowed in they went
away. When we were landed I sent the boat with two men in her to lie a
little from the shore at an anchor, to prevent being seized; while the
rest of us went after the 3 black men, who were now got on the top of a
small hill about a quarter of a mile from us, with 8 or 9 men more in
their company. They seeing us coming ran away. When we came on the top of
the hill where they first stood we saw a plain savannah, about half a
mile from us, farther in from the sea. There were several things like
haycocks standing in the savannah; which at a distance we thought were
houses, looking just like the Hottentots' houses at the Cape of Good
Hope: but we found them to be so many rocks. We searched about these for
water, but could find none, nor any houses, nor people, for they were all
gone. Then we turned again to the place where we landed, and there we dug
for water.

While we were at work there came nine or 10 of the natives to a small