*770.
Auguft.
Sunday u.
Monday 13.-
about three leagues from the main ; that without them he
found from ten-to fourteen fathom, and between them and
the main feven't but that a flat,1 "Which rah two leagues out
from the main, made this channel narrow. EJpoh one of
thefe low iftands he ftept, and was afhore upon others ; and
he reported, that he faw every where piles of turtle-lhells,
arid fins hanging upon the trees in many placesf with the
fiefli upon them, fo recent, that the boat’s crew“ eat of them :
he faw alfo two fpots; clear of grafs, which appeared to hatie
been lately dug up, and from the fhape and fize of them he
conjectured they were graves.
After confidering what I had feen myfelf, and the report
of the 'Matter, i was of opinion that'tbe' paflageto leeward
would be dangerous, arid thatj by keeping in with the main,
we fhould run the rilk of being locked in by the great reef,
and at 1 aft be compelled to return back in fearch of another
paflage, by which, or any other accident that fhould caufe
the fame delay, we fhould infallibly lofe our paflage to the
Eaft'Indies, and endanger the ruin of the voyage, as we had!
now but little more than three months provifions on board
at fhort allowance.
Having ftated this opinion, and the facls and appearances
upon which it was founded, to the officers, it was unanh
moufly agreed, that the beft thing we could do would be to-
quit the coaft altogether, till we could approach it with Ms.
danger.
In the morning therefore, at break of day, we got underfail,
and flood out N. E. for the north weft end of Lizard
Ifland, leaving Eagle Ifland to windward, and fome other
iflands and fhoals to the leeward, and having the pinnace
ahead to afcertain the depth of water in every part of our
courfe. In this channel we had from nine to fourteen: fa-
3 thorn,.
thpm. At.noon, the north weft .end .of Lizard Ifland bore- 177.9. .
E. S. E. diftant one mile 7 our latitude, by obfervation-was .
i f -^ 8'*' arid our depth of water fourteen fathom, We had Mcnday ‘3’
a fieady gale at S. Ë, and by two o’clock we juft fetched to
windward of one of the channels or openings in the outer
reef, which I had feen from the ifland. We now tacked» and.
made a fhort trip to the S. W. while, the Matter in the pin-
nacé examined the channel: he foon made the fignal for the
fhip to follow, and in a fhort time fhe got fafe our As foon ‘
as we had got without the breakers, we had no ground with
one hundred and fifty fathom, and found a large fea rolling;
in from the S. E. a certain fign that neither land nor fhoals-
were near us in that direction.
Our change of fituation was now vifible in every counter
nanjce, for k was moft fenfibly felt in every breaft r we had
been little lefs than three months entangled among fhoals
and rocks, that every moment threatened us with deftruction
; frequently palling our nights at anchor within hearing
of the furge that broke over them; fometimes driving;
towards them even while our anchors were out, and knowing.;,
that if by any accident, to which an almoft continual tempeft .
expofed us, they-fhould npt hold, we muft in a few, minutes..
inevitably perifh. But now, after having failed-no lefs than
three hundred and. fixty leagues, without once having a
man out of the chains heaving the lead, even for a minute,
which perhaps never happened to any other veil'd, we found-
ourf'clves in an open fea, with deep water; and enjoyed a
flow of fpirits. which was equally owing to our late dangers,
and our prefent fecurity: yet the very waves, which by their-
fwell convinced us that we had no rocks or fhoals to fear,,
convinced us alfo that we could not fafely put the fame confidence
in our. veil'd as before fhe had ftruck ; for the blows,
fhe;