I continued to stretch to the east south-east, with the wind at north-east and north, without meeting with any thing worthy of note, till seven o’clock in the evening of the 29th; when we had a sudden and very heavy squall of wind from the north. At this time, we were under single-reefed top-sails, courses, and stay-sails. Two of the latter were blown to pieces; and it was with difficulty that we saved the other sails. After this squall, we observed several lights moving about on board the Discovery; by which we concluded that something had given way; and, the next morning, we saw that her main-top-mast had been lost. Both wind and weather continued very unsettled till noon, this day, when the latter cleared up, and the former settled in the north-west quarter. At this time, we were in the latitude of 28° 6ʹ south, and our longitude was 198° 23ʹ east. Here we saw some pintado birds, being the first since we left the land.
On the 31st, at noon, Captain Clerke made a signal to speak with me. By the return of the boat, which I sent on board his ship, he informed me, that the head of the main-mast had been discovered to be sprung, in such a manner, as to render the rigging of another top-mast very dangerous; and that, therefore, he must rig something lighter in its place. He also informed me, that he had lost his main-top-gallantyard; and that he neither had another, nor a spar to make one, on board. The Resolution’s sprit-sail top-sail-yard, which I sent him, supplied this want. The next day, we got up a jury top-mast, on which he set a mizen-top-sail; and this enabled him to keep way with the Resolution.
The wind was fixed in the western board; that is, from the north, round by the west to south, and I steered east, and north-east, without meeting with any thing remarkable, till eleven o’clock in the morning of the 8th of August, when the land was seen, bearing north north-east, nine or ten leagues distant. At first, it appeared in detached hills, like so many separate islands; but as we drew nearer, we found that they were all connected, and belonged to one and the same island. I steered directly for it, with a fine gale at south-east by south; and at half-past six o’clock in the afternoon, it extended from north by east, to north north-east 3/4 east, distant three or four leagues.