no strength; so we concluded we were better as we were, and let them alone.
We went forward to the north, keeping the coast close on board for twelve
days together, and having the wind at east and E.S.E., we made very fresh
way. We saw no towns on the shore, but often saw some huts by the
water-side upon the rocks, and always abundance of people about them, who
we could perceive run together to stare at us.

It was as odd a voyage as ever man went; we were a little fleet of three
ships, and an army of between twenty and thirty as dangerous fellows as
ever they had amongst them; and had they known what we were, they would
have compounded to give us everything we desired to be rid of us.

On the other hand, we were as miserable as nature could well make us to be,
for we were upon a voyage and no voyage, we were bound somewhere and
nowhere; for though we knew what we intended to do, we did really not know
what we were doing. We went forward and forward by a northerly course, and
as we advanced the heat increased, which began to be intolerable to us, who
were on the water, without any covering from heat or wet; besides, we were
now in the month of October, or thereabouts, in a southern latitude; and as
we went every day nearer the sun, the sun came also every day nearer to us,
till at last we found ourselves in the latitude of 20 degrees; and having
passed the tropic about five or six days before that, in a few days more
the sun would be in the zenith, just over our heads.

Upon these considerations we resolved to seek for a good place to go on
shore again, and pitch our tents, till the heat of the weather abated. We
had by this time measured half the length of the island, and were come to
that part where the shore tending away to the north-west, promised fair to
make our passage over to the mainland of Africa much shorter than we
expected. But, notwithstanding that, we had good reason to believe it was