L I E U T E N A N T , C OOK ’S V O Y A G E
Auguft. Juft as we were about t0 fliip it, the hawfer flipped, and we
'r— ---- ' had all our labour to repeat: by this time it was dark, and
•Friday 24. i i - j / ' / * f we were obliged to fufpend our operations till the morning.
Saturday 25. As foon as it was light, we fweeped it again, and heaved
it to the bows: by eight o’clock, we weighed the other anchor,
got under fail, and, with a fine breeze at E. N. E. flood
to the north weft. At noon, our latitude, by obfervation,
was io° 18' S. longitude 219° 39' W. At this time, we had
no land in fight, but about two miles to the fouthward of us
lay a large fhoal, upon which the fea broke with great vio-
. lence, and part of which, I believe, is dry at low water. It
extends N. W. and S. E. and is about five leagues in circuit.
Our depth of water, from the time we weighed till now, was
nine fathom, but it foon Ihallowed to feven fathom ; and at
half an hour after one, having run eleven miles between
noon and that time, the boat which was a-head made the
fignal for Ihoal water; we immediately let go an anchor,
and brought the ftiip up with all the fails ftanding, for the
boat having juft been relieved, was at but a little diftance :
upon looking out from the fhip, we faw ihoal water almoft
all round us, both wind and tide at the fame time fetting
upon it. The fhip was in fix fathom, but upon founding
round her, at the diftance of half a cable’s length, we
found fcarcely two. This ihoal reached from the eaft, round
by the north and weft, as far as the fouth weft, fo that there
was no way for us to get clear but that which we came.
This was another hair’s-breadth efcape, for it was near high
water, and there run a ihort cockling fea, which muft very
foon have bulged the fliip if ihe had ftruck; and if her direction
had been half a cable’s length more either to the right
or left, ihe muft have ftruck before the fignal for the ihoal
was made. The ihoals which, like thefe, lie a fathom or
two under water, are the moft dangerous of any, for they do
not
not difcover themfelves till the vefiel is juft upon them, and
then indeed the water looks brown, as if it reflected a dark
cloud. Between three and four o’clock the tide of ebb began
to make, and I fent the Mailer to found to the fouthward
and fouth weftward, and in the mean time, as the ihip
tended, I weighed anchor, and with a little fail flood firft
to the fouthward, and afterwards edging away to the weft-
ward, got once more out of danger. At funfet, we anchored
in ten fathom, with a fandy bottom, having a freili gale at
E. S. E.
At fix in the morning, we weighed again and flood weft, Sunday 26.
having, as ufual, firft fent a boat a-head to found. I had intended
to fleer N. W. till I had made the fouth coaft of New
Guinea, defigning, if poflible, to touch upon i t ; but upon
meeting with thefe fhoals, I altered my courfe, in hopes of
finding a clearer channel, and deeper water. In this I fuc-
ceeded, for by noon our depth of Water was gradually in-
creafed to feventeen fathom. Our latitude was now by obfervation
xo° 10' S .; and our longitude 220° 13' W. No land
was in fight. We continued to fleer weft till funfet, our
depth of water being from twenty-feven to twenty-three fathom
: we then fhortened fail, and kept upon a wind all
night; four hours on one tack, and four on another. At
day-light, we made all the fail we could, and fleered W. N. W. Monday S7.
till eight o’clock, and then N. W. At noon, our latitude by
obfervation was 90 56' S .; longitude 2210 W .; variation
20 30' E. We continued our N. W. courfe till funfet, when
we again fhortened fail, and hauled clofe upon a wind to
the northward: our depth of water was twenty-one fathom.
At eight, we tacked and flood to the fouthward till twelve ;
then flood to the northward with little fail till day-light: our TaeHay z8
foundings were from twenty-five to feventeen fathom, the
water growing? gradually fhallow as we flood to the north-
’.8 ward.
1770.
Auguft.
Saturday 25.