We discovered an island on the 21st, 110 leagues W.S.W. from Cape St Lucas,[1] but as the wind blew fresh, I could not get nearer than two leagues, and did not think proper to lose time in laying-to in the night.  It seemed seven or eight leagues in circumference, having a large bay on its S.W. side, in the middle of which was a high rock.  My people named this Shelvocke’s island.  From hence we shelved, down to the latitude of 13 deg.  N. but were stopped two or three days by westerly winds, which we did not expect in this sea, especially as being now five or six hundred leagues from the land.  The trade-wind again returning, we kept in the parallel of 13 deg.  N. except when we judged that we were near the shoals of St Bartholomew, and then haled a degree more to the north, and so continued for sixty or seventy leagues.  A fortnight after leaving California, my people, who had hitherto enjoyed uninterrupted health, began to be afflicted with sickness, particularly affecting their stomachs, owing doubtless to the great quantities of sweetmeats they were continually devouring, and also to oar common food, chiefly composed of puddings made of coarse flour and sweetmeats, mixed up with sea-water, together with jerked beef, most of which was destroyed by ants, cockroaches, and other vermin.  We could not afford to boil the kettle once in the whole passage with fresh water, so that the crew became reduced to a very melancholy state by scurvy and other distempers.  The sickness increased upon us every day, so that we once buried two in one day, the armourer and carpenter’s, mate, besides whom the carpenter, gunner, and several others died, together with some of our best negroes.

[Footnote 1:  Probably La Nablada, in lat. 18 deg. 55’ N. long. 180 deg. 48’ E.]

The greatest part of my remaining people were disabled, and our ship very leaky; and to add to our misfortunes, one of our pumps split and became useless.  Under these unhappy circumstances, we pushed forwards with favourable gales till within 80 leagues of Guam, one of the Ladrones, when we encountered dismal weather and tempestuous winds, veering round the compass.  This was the more frightful, as we were unable to help ourselves, not above six or seven, being able for duty, though necessity obliged even those who were extremely low and weak to lend what help they could.  In the boisterous sea raised by these gales, our ship so laboured that the knee of her head, and her whole beak-head, became loose, so that the boltsprit fetched away and played with every motion of the ship, and so continued all the rest of the time we were at sea.  For some time our main-mast stood without larboard shrouds, till we could unlay our best cable to make more, having knotted and spliced the old shrouds till our labour was in vain.  In the midst of these difficulties, I was taken very ill, and had little expectations of living much longer, till the gout gave me some painful hopes of recovery.