DAMPIER’s ACCOUNT OF THE PHILIPPINES . $9

cloud, and ftill fucking up the water as it goes along, and they make a wind as theygo. Thus it continues for the fpace of half an hour, more or lefs, until the fuckingis fpent, and then breaking off, all the water which was below the fpout, or pendulouspiec,e of cloud, falls down again into the fea, making a great noife with its fall andclalhing motion in the fea.

It is very dangerous for a (hip to be under a fpout 'when it breaks, therefore wealways endeavour to Ihun it, by keeping at a diftance, if poffibly we can, But forwant of wind to carry us away, we are often in great fear and danger, for it is ufuallycalm when fpouts are at work y except only juft where they are. Therefore men atfea, when they fee a fpout coming, and know not how to avoid it, do fometimes firelhot out of their great guns into it, to give it air or vent, that fo it may break y but Idid never hear that it proved to be of any benefit.

And now being on this fubjeft, I think it not amifs to give you an account of anaccident that happened to a fhip once on the coaft of Guinea , fometime in or aboutthe year 1674, One Captain Records, of London , bound for the coaft ofGuinea , in a fhip of three hundred tuns, and fixteen guns, called the Bleffing ;when he came into the latitude feven or eight degrees north, he faw feveral fpouts,one of which came direftly towards the fhip, and he having no wind to get out ofthe way of the fpout, made ready to receive it by furling his fails. It came onvery fwift and broke a little before it reached the fhip ; making a great noife, andraifing the fea round it, as if a great houfe or fome fuch thing, had been caft into thefea. The fury of the wind ftill lafted, and took the fhip on the ftarboard-bow withfuch violence, that it fnapt off the boltfprit and fore-maft both at once, and blew thefhip all along, ready to overfet it, but the fhip did prefently right again, and the windwhirling round, took the fhip a fecond time with the like fury as before, but on thecontrary fide, and was again like to overfet her the other way. The mizen-maft feltthe fury of this fecond blaft, and was fnapt fhort off, as the fore-maft and boltfprithad been before. The main-maft, and maintop-maft, received no damage, for thefury of the wind (which was prefently over) did not reach them. Three men were inthe fore-top when the fore-maft broke, and one on the boltfplit, and fell with them,into the fea, but all of them were faved. I had this relation from M. John Canby,who was then quarter-mafter, and fteward of her; one Abraham Wife was chief mate,and Leonard Jefferies fecond mate.

We are ufually very much afraid of them : yet this was .the only damage that everI heard done by them. They feern terrible enough, the rather becaufe they comeupon you while you lie becalmed, like a log in the fea, and cannot get out of theirway : but though I have feen, and been befet by them often, yet the fright was al-ways the greateft of the harm.

December the ill, we had a gentle gale at eaft-fouth-eaft, we fteered fouth ; and atnoon I was by obfervation in latitude three degrees thirty-four minutes fouth. Then wefaw the illand Bouton, bearing fouth-weft, and about ten leagues diftant. We hadvery uncertain and unconftant winds : the tornadoes came out of the fouth-weft, whichwas againft us 5 and what other winds we had were fo faint, that they did us little kind-nefs ; but we took the advantage of the fmalleft gale, and got a little way every day.

The 4th day at noon I was by obfervation in latitude four degrees thirty minutesfouth. : :■

Lhe 5th day we got clofe by the north-weft end of the illand Bouton, and in' theevening, it being fair weather, we hoifted out our canoe, and fent the Molkito men,or wnom we had. two or three, to ftrike turtle, for here are plenty of them j but they

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