By the 15th of October the fruit and water was carried on board, and all the sick being recovered, preparations were made for sailing; and on the next day they left the bay, and sailed to the west.
On the 21st and 22d they saw several gannets, and other birds; and on the 23d and two following days it blew a violent storm, the effects of which were the more dreaded, as the ship admitted more water than she had done at any time during the voyage. The bad weather continued on the 26th, when they saw several land-birds. They had now to encounter the united horrors of thunder, lightning, rain, darkness, and such a violent sea, as broke even the iron work on the gun-whale, and washed over-board many heavy things. On the 27th they were blest with a sight of the sun, and the day following the weather became more temperate. In the middle of the night one Morgan, a taylor, was suddenly missed, and it was thought he fell over-board in a fit of intoxication.
On the 3d of November they discovered three islands, which were named SANDY ISLE, SMALL KEY, and LONG ISLAND; and on the day following they saw another, to which captain Wallis gave the name of NEW ISLAND; all of which islands are in ten degrees odd minutes north-latitude, and 247 degrees odd minutes west-longitude. The ship held her course till the 8th, on which day the log and journal-books of the voyage were taken from the inferior officers and foremast-men.
They now altered their course, and on the 13th saw the islands of Timoun, Aros and Pesang. On the 16th they crossed the equinoctial line, and came again into south-latitude. The next day they saw the islands of Pulo Toté, and Pulo Weste; soon after which they had sight of the seven islands. A singular incident happened in the succeeding night, which was very tempestuous, and so dark, that they could not see across the ship. During the full violence of the wind, a flash of lightning afforded them light enough to see a ship of considerable size, which was so near, that it was with difficulty they steered clear of her; but they could not get information to what nation she belonged, as the wind was too loud for them to hear each other. This was the first ship they had seen since they parted from the Swallow. In the morning they saw the Island of Pulo Taya, near which they came to an anchor in the evening; and the next morning sailed again, and saw two ships a-head of them, but the current was so strong that they lost ground, and therefore they again anchored in the evening. The next day they lost an anchor, the cable of which was cut away by the rocks. On the 22d they saw the coast of Sumatra, and came to an anchor in the road of Batavia, on the 30th of November 1767.
On the following day captain Wallis saluted the Dutch governor with 13 guns, and the compliment was returned from the fort with one additional gun. Permission having been obtained to purchase necessaries, they were soon supplied with beef and vegetables. The crew were now threatened with punishment, if any attempt should be made to bring liquor aboard; and no man was permitted to leave the ship, but those who were called by duty; and even those were not suffered to go into the town.--The intemperate use of arrack is highly pernicious to strangers who visit Batavia.
His Majesty’s ship the Falmouth was at this time laying in the road, but in so shattered a condition, that it was thought she could not hold together during the next monsoon; nor were the few of her crew which remained alive in any better condition than the vessel. On the 5th of December captain Wallis received a petition from the warrant officers of the Falmouth, setting forth, that their powder had been thrown into the sea, by order of the Dutch, and that the gunner was dead; that their misfortunes had deprived the boatswain of his senses, and that he was then a lunatic in the Dutch hospital; that his stores were all spoiled; that the cook had been wounded, and remained a cripple; and that the carpenter was near death.--They therefore petitioned that the Captain would carry them to England, or, at all adventures; dismiss them from the ship, as there was now nothing left for them to take charge of. Captain Wallis was obliged to refuse their request, however reasonable, and informed them, that as they had taken charge of stores, they must wait for orders from England. To this they answered, that they had not received a single order since they were left in the road of Batavia: that they had ten years pay due, and would rather go home sweepers, than remain in their present wretched situation. That they were never permitted to sleep on shore, and when sick, no person had the humanity to visit them: that the Malays frequently robbed them, and that they expected destruction at the hands of those people, as they had burnt the Siam Prize not long before the arrival of the Dolphin. They entreated the Captain to make their case known in England, which he readily promised to do.
On the 5th the Captain went on shore, to buy such stores as he thought necessary to carry the ship home with safety. He visited the different store-houses and arsenals; but the demands of the Dutch were so exorbitant, that he determined to make shift with such materials as he had, rather than be imposed on by people who wished to take every advantage of his necessity. Accordingly, he sailed on the 8th of December, without losing a single man, and having only two on the sick list.
On the 11th the crew began to be afflicted with colds and fluxes; and the following night they saw the Coast of Java, on which was placed an amazing number of lights, intended, as they imagined, to entice the fish near the beach.--They anchored off Princes Island on the 14th, and began to take in wood and water; at which place they remained till the 20th, during which time they purchased turtle, poultry, and other refreshments.
While they lay here one of the seamen fell from the main-yard into the barge, which was a-longside the ship, and struck down two other men, one of whom was bruised so much that he died in four days; but the other escaped with a broken toe: the man who fell had several bones broken, and was otherwise shockingly bruised. They buried three men here, and many others were seized with fluxes, and putrid fevers; the contagion of which last disorder constantly attacked, in a day or two, those who attended the sick. At this time too the ship made above three feet water in four hours.
They struggled with these accumulated misfortunes till the 10th of January, when the sickness began to abate.--On the 24th they encountered a dreadful storm, which tore the sails to pieces, broke a rudder-chain, and carried several of the booms over-board: yet, during this storm, they observed a number of birds and butterflies.--On the 30th they saw land, and came to an anchor in Table Bay, at the Cape of Good Hope, on the 4th of February.
Captain Wallis having saluted the Governor, and the Commanders of some vessels in the harbour, and they having fired guns of salute in return, he lost no time in procuring fresh meat and vegetables for the use of the crew. The surgeon was sent on shore to hire lodgings for the sick; but as the rate demanded was very high, and as the small-pox (which many of the seamen had not had) raged prodigiously, the Captain obtained the Governor’s permission to erect tents on a plain about two miles from the town.
This being done, the sick were sent on shore; positive orders being given that no liquor should be brought to the tents; that no one should be permitted to go into the town; and that extra provisions should be procured for those who were most reduced by sickness. The Captain was so very ill, that, as long as the ship lay here, he was at a country-house several miles distant.
Every man who was able to do any kind of work, was now employed in the necessary repairs of the ship, which being nearly compleated by the 10th of February, several of the men, who had had the small-pox, were permitted to visit the town; and those who had not had that distemper, were allowed to take daily walks in the country; and as they did not abuse this liberty, it was continued to them as long as the ship remained there.
The necessaries which could not be purchased of the Dutch at Batavia, were bought reasonably at this place; and fresh water was procured by distillation, with a view to convince the commanders of the Indiamen that lay here, how easily wholesome water might be procured at sea. This method of distillation is as follows: 56 gallons of salt water being put into the still at five in the morning, thirty-six gallons of fresh water was obtained by about a quarter after ten; thirteen gallons and a half remaining in the still. This fresh water was procured at the expence of sixty-nine pounds of coals, and nine pounds of wood.
On the 25th all hands were ordered on board, when it was found that every man, except three, was able to do duty. A number of sheep were purchased for sea stores; and the ship sailed on the third of March.