[31] Een schover zeyl—one course, namely, the main-sail. [↑]
[32] Wierpent aen de wint—they hauled close to the wind. [↑]
[33] Graedt-boogh—rendered Radius astronomicus in the Amsterdam Latin version of 1598, and Ray nautique in the French version of the same year and place—Cross-staff, Jacob’s-staff, or fore-staff; a well known instrument, no longer in use among European navigators. But the Arab seamen on the east coast of Africa still employ a primitive instrument, which is essentially the same. It consists of a small quadrangular board, through which a string, knotted at various distances, is passed; each knot being at such a distance from the board, that when the latter is held by the observer before him, with the knot between his teeth and the string extended, the board (between its upper and lower edges) shall subtend the angle at which the pole-star is known to be elevated above the horizon at some one of the ports frequented by the observer. Inartificial as such an instrument may be, yet if, instead of a knotted string, a notched stick were used, on which the board might slide backwards and forwards, it would be the cross-staff of our early navigators. [↑]
[34] Noch (now spelt nog)—again. [↑]
[35] Den 4 Julij des nachts—on the 4th of July, at night. [↑]
[36] Graed-boogh. See the preceding page, note 1. [↑]
[37] So in the original. But the sense requires “north-east and by north”, that being the next point to N.N.E. [↑]
[38] Een laghe uytstekenden hoeck—a low projecting point. Through some misconception, Phillip repeatedly has “long” for “low”. [↑]
[40] Capo Baxo—Low Point. From the long connection of the Netherlands with Spain, the Dutch navigators appear to have employed the Spanish language for trivial names like “Low Point”, “Black Point”, as being more distinctive than the vernacular. [↑]