"We had then also a very ill passage (presage?), by a great circle about the sun (five or six times the diameter of it), which seldom appears but storms of wind, or much rain, ensue. Such circles about the moon are more frequent, but of less import. We do commonly take great notice of these that are about the sun, observing if there be any breach in the circle, and in what quarter the breach is; for from thence we commonly find the greatest stress of the wind will come. I must confess that I was a little anxious at the sight of the circle, and wished heartily that we were near some land. Yet I showed no sign of it to discourage my consorts, but made a virtue of necessity, and put a good countenance on the matter. "I told Mr Hall that if the wind became too strong and violent, as I feared it would, it being even then very strong, we must of necessity steer away before the wind and sea till better weather presented; and that as the winds were now, we should, instead of about 20 leagues to Achin, be driven 60 or 70 to the coast of Cudda or Queda (Kedah) a kingdom and town and harbour of trade on the coast of Malacca. "The winds, therefore, bearing very hard, we rolled up the foot of our sail on a pole fastened to it, and settled our yard within 3 feet of the canoe sides, so that we had now but a small sail; yet it was still too big considering the winds, for the wind being on our broadside, pressed her down very much, though supported by her outlayers, in so much that the poles of the outlayers going from the sides of the vessel bent as if they would break; and should they have broken, our overturning and perishing had been inevitable. Besides, the sea increasing, would soon have filled the sea this way. Yet thus we made a shift to bear up with the side of the vessel against the wind for a while; but the wind still increasing about one o'clock in the afternoon, we put right away before wind and sea, continuing to run thus all the afternoon and part of the night ensuing. The wind continued increasing all the afternoon, and the sea still swelled higher, and often broke, but did us no damage; for the ends of the vessel being very narrow, he that steered received and broke the sea on his back, and so kept it from coming in so much as to endanger the vessel: though much water would come in, which we were forced to keep heaving out continually. And by this time we saw it was well we had altered our course, every wave would else have filled and sunk us, taking the side of the vessel; and though our outlayers were well lashed down to the canoe's bottom with rattans, yet they must probably have yielded to such a sea as this, when even before they were plunged under water, and bent like twigs.