Departing from The River Of Mindanao

On January 14, 1687 at 3pm we sailed from the river of Mindanao, designing to cruise before Manila.

The Timespan Sailing Round The World

It was during our stay at Mindanao when we were first learned of the change of time in the course of our voyage.

For, having travelled so far westward, keeping the same course with the sun, we must consequently have gained something insensibly in the length of the particular days, but have lost in the tale the bulk, or number of the days or hours.

According to the different longitudes of England and Mindanao island, being west from the Lizard, by common computation, about 210 degrees, the difference of time at our arrival at Mindanao ought to be about 14 hours: and so much we should have anticipated our reckoning, having gained it by bearing the sun company.

Now the natural day in every particular place must be consonant to itself: but this going about with or against the sun’s course will of necessity make a difference in the calculation of the civil day between any two places.

Accordingly at Mindanao and all other places in the East Indies we found them reckoning a day before us, both natives and Europeans; for the Europeans, coming eastward by the Cape of Good Hope in a course contrary to the sun and us, wherever we met they were a full day before us in their accounts.

So among the Indian Mohammedans here their Friday, the day of their sultan’s going to their mosques, was Thursday with us; though it were Friday also with those who came eastward from Europe.

Yet at the Ladrone Islands we found the Spaniards of Guam keeping the same computation with ourselves; the reason of which I take to be that they settled that colony by a course westward from Spain; the Spaniards going first to America and thence to the Ladrones and Philippines. But how the reckoning was at Manila and the rest of the Spanish colonies in the Philippine Islands I know not; whether they keep it as they brought it or corrected it by the accounts of the natives and of the Portuguese, Dutch, and English, coming the contrary way from Europe.

One great reason why seamen ought to keep the difference of time as exact as they can is that they may be the more exact in their latitudes.

For our tables of the sun’s declination, being calculated for the meridians of the places in which they were made, differ about 12 minutes from those parts of the world that lie on their opposite meridians in the months of March and September; and in proportion to the sun’s declination at other times of the year also.

And should they run farther as we did the difference would still increase upon them, and be an occasion of great errors. Yet even able seamen in these voyages are hardly made sensible of this, though so necessary to be observed, for want of duly attending to the reason of it, as it happened among those of our crew; who after we had passed 180 degrees began to decrease the difference of declination, whereas they ought still to have increased it, for it all the way increased upon us.

The South Coast Of Mindanao: Chambongo Town And Harbour

We had the wind at north-north-east, fair clear weather and a brisk gale. We coasted to the westward, on the south side of the island of Mindanao, keeping within four or five leagues of the shore. The land from hence trends away west by south.

It is off a good height by the sea and very woody, and in the country we saw high hills.

The next day we were abreast of Chambongo, a town in this island and 30 leagues from the river of Mindanao. It has a good harbour and a great settlement with plenty of beef and buffalo.

The Spaniards were formerly fortified here also.

It has 2 shoals, two or three leagues from the shore. From hence the land is more low and even; yet there are some hills in the country.

About 6 leagues before we came to the west end of the island Mindanao we fell in with a great many small low islands or keys, and about two or three leagues to the southward of these keys there is a long island stretching north-east and south-west about 12 leagues.

This island is low by the sea on the north side and has a ridge of hills in the middle, running from one end to the other.

Between this isle and the small keys there is a good large channel: among the keys also there is a good depth of water and a violent tide; but on what point of the compass it flows I know not, nor how much it rises and falls.

On January 17, we anchored on the east side of all these keys in eight fathom water, clean sand. Here are plenty of green turtle, whose flesh is as sweet as any in the West Indies: but they are very shy.

A little to the westward of these keys, on the island Mindanao, we saw abundance of coconut-trees: therefore we sent our canoe ashore, thinking to find inhabitants, but found none nor sign of any; but great tracts of hogs and great cattle; and close by the sea there were ruins of an old fort; the walls thereof were of a good height, built with stone and lime, and by the workmanship seemed to be Spanish. From this place the land trends west-north-west and it is of an indifferent height by the sea.

It runs on this point of the compass four or five leagues, and then the land trends away north-north-west five or six leagues farther, making with many bluff points.

The Westermost Point Of Mindanao

We weighed again the 14th day and went through between the keys; but met such uncertain tides that we were forced to anchor again.

The 22nd day we got about the westermost point of all Mindanao and stood to the northward, plying under the shore and having the wind at north-north-east a fresh gale.

As we sailed along further we found the land to trend north-north-east. On this part of the island the land is high by the sea with full bluff points and very woody. There are some small sandy bays which afford streams of fresh water.

Here we met with two proas belonging to the Sologues, one of the Mindanayan nations before mentioned.

They came from Manila laden with silks and calicoes.

We kept on this western part of the island steering northerly till we came abreast of some other of the Philippine Islands that lay to the northward of us, then steered away towards them; but still keeping on the west side of them, and we had the winds at north-north-east.

AN ISLE TO THE WEST OF CEBU

On February 3, we anchored in a good bay on the west side of the island in latitude 9 degrees 55 minutes, where we had 13 fathom water, good soft oaze.

This island has no name that we could find in any book but lies on the west side of Cebu island Sebo.

It is about 8-10 leagues long, mountainous and woody. At this place Captain Read, who was the same Captain Swan had so much railed against in his journal and was now made captain in his room (as Captain Teat was made master, and Mr. Henry More quartermaster) ordered the carpenters to cut down our quarter-deck to make the ship snug and the fitter for sailing.

When that was done we heeled her, scrubbed her bottom, and tallowed it. Then we filled all our water, for here is a delicate small run of water.

WALKING-CANES

The land was pretty low in this bay, the mould black and fat, and the trees of several kinds, very thick and tall. In some places we found plenty of canes, such as we use in England for walking-canes.

These were short-jointed, not above two foot and a half, or two foot 10 inches the longest, and most of them not above two foot.

They run along on the ground like a vine; or, taking hold of their trees, they climb up to their very tops. They are 15 or 20 fathom long, and much of a bigness from the root till within five or six fathom of the end.

They are of a pale green colour, clothed over with a coat of short thick hairy substance of a dun colour; but it comes off by only drawing the cane through your hand. We did cut many of them and they proved very tough heavy canes.

We saw no houses nor sign of inhabitants. But while we lay here there was a canoe with six men came into this bay; but whither they were bound or from whence they came I know not. They were Indians, and we could not understand them.

Isle Of Very Large Bats, Numerous Turtle And Manatee

In the middle of this bay about a mile from the shore there is a small low woody island, not above a mile in circumference; our ship rode about a mile from it. This island was the habitation of an incredible number of great bats, with bodies as big as ducks, or large fowl, and with vast wings: for I saw at Mindanao one of this sort, and I judge that the wings, stretched out in length, could not be less asunder than 7 or 8 foot from tip to tip; for it was much more than any of us could fathom with our arms extended to the utmost.

The wings are for substance like those of other bats, of a dun or mouse colour. The skin or leather of them has ribs running along it and draws up in 3 or 4 folds; and at the joints of those ribs and the extremities of the wings there are sharp and crooked claws by which they may hang on anything.

In the evening as soon as the sun was set, these creatures would begin to take their flight from this island in swarms like bees, directing their flight over to the main island; and whither afterwards I know not. Thus we should see them rising up from the island till night hindered our sight; and in the morning as soon as it was light we should see them returning again like a cloud to the small island till sun rising.

This course they kept constantly while we lay here, affording us every morning and evening an hour’s diversion in gazing at them and talking about them; but our curiosity did not prevail with us to go ashore to them, ourselves and canoes being all the daytime taken up in business about our ship. At this isle also we found plenty of turtle and manatee but no fish.

A DANGEROUS SHOAL

We stayed here until February 10, 1687. After completing our business, we sailed hence with the wind at north.

But going out we struck on a rock, where we lay for 2 hours: it was very smooth water and the tide of flood, or else we should there have lost our ship.

We struck off a great piece of our rudder, which was all the damage that we received, but we more narrowly missed losing our ships this time than in any other in the whole voyage. This is a very dangerous shoal because it does not break, unless probably it may appear in foul weather. It lies about two miles to the westward, without the small Bat Island. Here we found the tide of flood setting to the southward, and the ebb to the northward.