1770.
Auguft.
Saturday 4.
Sunday 5.
In the afternoon o f the 4th, we had a gentle breeze at S. E.
and clear weather, but as I did not intend to fail till thé
morning, I fent all the boats to the reef, to get what turtle
and fhell filh they could. At low water, I went up to the
mall-head, and took a view of the Ihoals, which made a
very threatening appearance: I could fee feveral at a remote
diftance, and part of many of them was above water. The
fea appeared moll open to the north eall of the turtle reef,
and I came to a refolution to llretch out that way clofe upon
a wind, becaufe if we fhould find no pafiage, we could always
return the way we went. In the evening, the boats
brought in a turtle, a fting-ray, and as many large cockles
as came to about a pound and a half a man, for in each of
them there was not lefs than two pounds of meat: in the
night alfo we caught feveral fharks, which, though not a
dainty, were an acceptable increafe of our frefh provifion.
In the morning, I waited till half ebb before I weighed,
becaufe at that time the Ihoals begin to appear, but the
wind then blew fo hard that I was obliged to remain at anchor:
in the afternoon, however, the gale becoming more
moderate, we got under fail, and Hood out upon a wind N. E.
by E» leaving the turtle reef to windward, and having the
pinnace founding ahead: we had not kept this courfe long,
before we difcovered Ihoals before us, and upon both the
bows ; and at half an hour after four, having run about
eight miles, the pinnace made the fignal for fhoal water,
where we little expedled it: upon this we tacked, and flood
on and off, while the pinnace llretched farther to the eall-
ward, and night approaching, I came to an anchor in twenty
fathom water, with a muddy bottom. Endeavour River
then bore S. 52 W .; Cape Bedford W. by.N. t N. diftant five
leagues, the northermoft land in fight, which had the appearance
of an illand, N.; and a fhoal, a fmall fitndy part
of
of which appeared above water, bore N. E. diftant between
two and three miles : in Handing off from turtle reef to this
place, we had from fourteen to twenty fathom water, but
when the pinnace was about a mile farther to the E.N. E.
there was no more than four or five feet water, with rocky
ground; and yet this did not appear to us in the Ihip. In
the morning of the 6th, we had a ftrong gale, fo that inftead
of weighing, we were obliged to veer away more cable, and
ftrike. our top-gallant yards. At low water, myfelf, with:
feveral of the officers, kept a look-out at the mall-head, to-
fee if any pafiage could be difcovered between the Ihoals,
but nothing was in view except breakers, extending from
the S. round by the E, as far as N. W. and out to fea beyond
the reach of our fight; thefe breakers, however, did not appear
to be caufed by one continued fhoal, but by feveral,.
which lay detached from each other : on that which lay
fartheft to the eaflward, the fea broke very high, which
made me think it was the outermoll, for upon many of thefe
within, the breakers were inconfiderable, and from about
half ebb to half flood, they were not to be feen at all, which
makes failing among them Hill more dangerous, efpecially
as the Ihoals here confilt principally of coral rocks,, which
are as fteep as a wall; upon fome of them however, and generally
at the north end, there are patches of fand, which
are covered only at high water, and which are to be difcerned
at fome diftance. Being now convinced that there was no
pafiage to fea, but through the labyrinth formed by thefe
fhoals, I was altogether at a lofs which way to fleer, when
the weather fhould permit us to get under fail. It was the
Mailer’s opinion, that we fhould beat back the way we-
came, but this would have been an endlefs labour, as the
wind blew ftrongly from that quarter, almoft without inter—
million ; on the other hand, if no pafiage could be found tothe