VOYAGE TO THE SOUTH SEAS.
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from twelve to fifteen leagues. The ſea was continually varying in its colour, but we could not obtain any ſoundings.
January 23.On the twenty-third of January at noon, our Latitude was 8° 49′ 51″ North, Cape Blanco bearing North 3° Eaſt. Our ſtock of water was now very much reduced, and the greater part of that which remained, was, from its having been kept in oily caſks, become ſo nauſeous as to produce ſickneſs inſtead of allaying thirſt: I therefore made ſail for the Iſland of Quibo, in order to obtain a freſh ſupply of ſuch a material article, on which our future health depended. Our winds ſince we loſt ſight of Guatemala, were between the South Eaſt, and North Eaſt; and would at times vary for a few hours to the Weſtern Quarter.
26.On the twenty-ſixth we had moderate breezes from North Weſt to South Weſt, our Latitude was 7° 54′ North. 27.On the twenty-ſeventh, being in the vicinity of the Iſle Mentuoſa, between Cape Dulce and Quibo, we fell in with ſeveral ſpermaceti whales, of which we killed four, and afterwards were ſo unfortunate as to loſe one along-ſide. The ſight of theſe whales prolonged our cruiſe until February 8.the eighth of February, in the hope of getting more of them, but we only added four to thoſe we had already taken. The winds