A Voyage to New Holland | Page 9

yet even by that part I knew it to be the
isle of Mayo. See how it appeared to us at several views as we were
compassing the east and south-east and south of it, to get to the road, on
the south-west of it, and the road itself.
THE AUTHOR'S ARRIVAL AT MAYO.
I got not in till the next day, February 11, when I come to an anchor in
the road, which is the leeward part of the island; for it is a general rule
never to anchor to windward of an island between the tropics. We
anchored at 11 o'clock in 14 fathom clean sand, and very smooth water,
about three-quarters of a mile from the shore, in the same place where I
anchored in my voyage round the world; and found riding here the
Newport of London, a merchantman, Captain Barefoot commander,
who welcomed me with 3 guns and I returned one for thanks. He came
from Fayal, one of the western islands; and had store of wine and
brandy aboard. He was taking in salt to carry to Newfoundland, and
was very glad to see one of the King's ships, being before our coming
afraid of pirates, which of late years had much infested this and the rest
of the Cape Verde Islands.
I have given some account of the island of Mayo and of other of these
islands in my Voyage round the World, but I shall now add some
further observations that occurred to me in this voyage. The island of
Mayo is about 7 leagues in circumference, of a roundish form, with
many small rocky points shooting out into the sea a mile or more. Its
latitude is 15 degrees north, and as you sail about the isle, when you
come pretty nigh the shore, you will see the water breaking off from
those points; which you must give a berth to and avoid them. I sailed at

this time two parts in three round the island, but saw nothing dangerous
besides these points; and they all showed themselves by the breaking of
the water: yet it is reported that on the north and north-north-west side
there are dangerous shoals that lie farther off at sea; but I was not on
that side. There are 2 hills on this island of a considerable height; one
pretty bluff, the other peaked at top. The rest of the island is pretty level
and of a good height from the sea. The shore clear round hath sandy
bays between the rocky points I spoke of, and the whole island is a very
dry sort of soil.
OF THE CAPE VERDE ISLANDS; ITS SALT POND COMPARED
WITH THAT OF SALT TORTUGA; ITS TRADE FOR SALT, AND
FRAPE-BOATS.
On the west side of the isle where the road for ships is, there is a large
sandy bay and a sandbank of about 40 paces wide within it which runs
along the shore 2 or 3 miles; within which there is a large salina or salt
pond, contained between the sandbank and the hills beyond it. The
whole salina is about 2 miles in length, and half a mile wide; but above
one half of it its commonly dry. The north end only of the pond never
wants water, producing salt from November till May, which is here the
dry season of the year. The water which yields this salt works in from
out of the sea through a hole in the sandbank before mentioned, like a
sluice, and that only in spring tides when it fills the pond more or less,
according to the height of the tides. If there is any salt in the ponds
when the flush of water comes in it presently dissolves: but then in 2 or
3 days after it begins to kern; and so continues kerning till either all or
the greatest part of the salt water is congealed or kerned; or till a fresh
supply of it comes in again from the sea. This water is known to come
in only at that one passage on the north part of the pond; where also it
is deepest. It was at a spring of the new moon when I was there; and I
was told that it comes in at no other time but at the new moon spring
tides; but why that should be I can't guess. They who come hither to
lade salt rake it up as it kerns, and lay it in heaps on the dry land, before
the water breaks in anew: and this is observable of this salt pond, that
the salt kerns only in the dry season, contrary to the salt ponds in the
West Indies, particularly those of the island Salt Tortuga, which I have