we did not bury eight or ten, and sometimes twelve
of our men; and those, who had hitherto continued
healthy, began to fall down apace. Indeed we
made the use we could of the present calm, by employing
our carpenters in searching after the leak, which was
now considerable, notwithstanding the little wind
we had: The carpenters at length discovered it
to be in the gunner’s fore store-room, where
the water rushed in under the breast-hook, on each
side of the stein; but though they found where it
was, they agreed that it was impossible to stop it,
till we should get into port, and till they could come
at it on the outside: However, they did the best
they could within board, and were fortunate enough
to reduce it, which was a considerable relief to us.
We had hitherto considered the calm which succeeded
the storm, and which continued for some days, as a
very great misfortune; since the currents were driving
us to the northward of our parallel, and we thereby
risqued the missing of the Ladrones, which we now conceived
ourselves to be very near. But when a gale sprung
up, our condition was still worse; for it blew from
the S.W. and consequently was directly opposed to
the course we wanted to steer: And though it
soon veered to the N.E. yet this served only to tantalize
us, for it returned back again in a very short time
to its old quarter. However, on the 22d of August
we had the satisfaction to find that the current was
shifted; and had set us to the southward: And
the 23d, at day-break, we were cheered with the discovery
of two islands in the western board: This gave
us all great joy, and raised our drooping spirits;
for before this an universal dejection had seized us,
and we almost despaired of ever seeing land again:
The nearest of these islands we afterwards found to
be Anatacan; we judged it to be full fifteen leagues
from us, and it seemed to be high land, though of
an indifferent length: The other was the island
of Serigan; and had rather the appearance of a high
rock, than a place we could hope to anchor at.
We were extremely impatient to get in with the nearest
island, where we expected to meet with anchoring-ground,
and an opportunity of refreshing our sick: But
the wind proved so variable all day, and there was
so little of it, that we advanced towards it but slowly;
however, by the next morning we were got so far to
the westward, that we were in view of a third island,
which was that of Paxaros, though marked in the chart
only as a rock. This was small and very low land,
and we had passed within less than a mile of it, in
the night, without seeing it: And now at noon,
being within four miles of the island of Anatacan,
the boat was sent away to examine the anchoring-ground
and the produce of the place; and we were not a little
solicitous for her return, as we then conceived our
fate to depend upon the report we should receive:
For the other two islands were obviously enough incapable
of furnishing us with any assistance, and we knew
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