was yet not very wholesome.

With these intentions I put to sea on the 5th of September 1699, with a
gentle gale, sounding all the way; but was quickly induced to alter my
design. For I had not been out above a day but I found that the shoals
among which I was engaged all the while on the coast, and was like to be
engaged in, would make it a very tedious thing to sail along by the
shore, or to put in where I might have occasion. I therefore edged
farther off to sea, and so deepened the water from 11 to 32 fathom. The
next day, being September the 6th, we could but just discern the land,
though we had then no more than about 30 fathom, uncertain soundings; for
even while we were out of sight of land we had once but 7 fathom, and had
also great and uncertain tides whirling about, that made me afraid to go
near a coast so shallow, where we might be soon aground and yet have but
little wind to bring us off: for should a ship be near a shoal she might
be hurled upon it unavoidably by a strong tide, unless there should be a
good wind to work her and keep her off. Thus also on the 7th day we saw
no land, though our water decreased again to 26 fathom; for we had
deepened it, as I said, to 30.

WATERSNAKES.

This day we saw two water-snakes, different in shape from such as we had
formerly seen. The one was very small, though long; the other long and as
big as a man's leg, having a red head; which I never saw any have, before
or since. We had this day latitude 16 degrees 9 minutes by observation.

I was by this time got to the north of the place I had thought to have
put in at where I dug wells in my former voyage; and though I knew, by
the experience I had of it then, that there was a deep entrance in