Page 382
An.1687
Isle of Panay. Isle of Mindora.
ly mist losing our Ship this time, than in any o- ther in the whole Voyage. This is a very dange- rous Shoal, because it does not break, unless proba- bly it may appear in foul weather. It lies about two mile to the Westward, without the small Batt Island. Here we found the Tide of flood setting to the Southward, and the Ebb to the North- ward.
After we were past this Shoal, we coasted along by the rest of the Philippine Islands, keeping on the West side of them. Some of them appeared to be very Mountainous dry Land. We saw many fires in the night as we passed by Panay, a great Island settled by Spaniards, and by the fires up and down, it seems to be well settled by them; for this is a Spanish custom, whereby they give notice of any danger or the like from Sea; and 'tis probable they had seen our Ship the day before. This is an unfrequented Coast, and 'tis rare to have any Ship seen there. We touched not at Panay, nor any where else; tho we saw a great many small Islands to the Westward of us, and some Shoals, but none of them laid down in our draughts.
The 18th day of Feb. we anchored at the N. W. end of the Island Mindora, in 10 fathom Water, a- bout 3 quarters of a mile from the shore. Mindora is a large Island; the middle of it lying in lat. 13, about 40 leagues long, stretching N. W. and S. E. It is high and Mountainous, and not very woody. At this place where we anchored the Land was neither very high nor low. There was a small Brook of Water, and the Land by the Sea was very woody, and the Trees high and tall, but a league or two farther in, the Woods are very thin and small. Here we saw great tracks of Hogs and Beef, and we saw some of each, and hunted them; but they were wild, and we could kill none.
While