C H A P . III.
Dangerous Situation o f the Ship in her Courfe from Trinity
Bay to Endeavour River.
1770. T T IT H E R T O we had fafely navigated this dangerous
.. ^une~ r Jl I coaft, where the fea in all parts conceals Ihoals that
Sunday 10. futJdenly projedl from the fhore, and rocks that rife abruptly
like a pyramid from the bottom, for an extent of two and
twenty degrees of latitude, more than one thoufand three
hundred miles; and therefore hitherto none of the names
which diftinguifh the feveral parts of the country that we
faw, are memorials of diftrefs; but here we became acquainted
with misfortune, and we therefore called the point
which we had juft feen fartheft to the northward, Gape T ribulation.
This Cape lies in latitude 16° 6' S. and longitude 214° 39'W.
We fleered along the fhore N. by W. at the diftance of between
three and four leagues, having from fourteen to
twelve, and ten fathom water: in the offing we faw two
iflands, which lie in latitude 16° S. and about fix or feven
leagues from the main. At fix in the evening, the northermoft
land in fight bore N. by W. i W. and two low woody iflands,
which feme o f us took to be rocks above water, bore N. 4 W.
At this time we fhortened fail, and hauled off fhore E. N. E.
and'N. E. by E. clofe upon a wind, for it was my defign to
ftretch off all night, as well to avoid the danger we faw
ahead, as to fee whether any iflands lay in the offing, efpecially
as
as we were now near the latitude affigned to the iflands |77°-
which were difeovered by Quiros, and which fome geogra- <— ----1
, , , , flK ■ • Sunday 10. phers, for what reafon I know not, have thought fat to join
to this land. We had the advantage of a fine breeze, and a
clear moonlight night, and in Handing off from fix till near
nine o’clock, we deepened our water from fourteen to
twenty-one fathom, but while we were at fupper it fuddenly
fhoaled, and we fell into twelve, ten, and eight fathom,
within the fpace of a few minutes; I immediately ordered
every body to their ftation, and all was ready to put about
and come to an anchor, but meeting at the next caft of the
lead with deep water again, we concluded that we had gone
over the tail of the fhoals which we had feen at fun-fet, and
that all danger was paft: before ten, we had twenty and
one and twenty fathom, and this depth continuing, the gentlemen
left the deck in great tranquillity, and went to bed ;
but a few minutes before eleven, the water fhallowed at
once from twenty to feventeen fathom, and before the lead
could be caft again, the fhip ftruck, and remained immoveable,
except by the heaving of the furge, that beat her
againft the craggs of the rock upon which fhe lay. In a
few moments every body was upon the deck, with countenances
which fufficiently exprefied the horrors of our fitu-
ation. We had flood off the fhore three hours and a half,
with a pleafant breeze, and therefore knew that we could not
be very near it, and we had too much reafon to conclude
that we were upon a rock of coral, which is more fatal than
any other, becaufe the points of it are fharp, and every part
of the furface fo rough as to grind away whatever is rubbed
againft it, even with the gentleft motion. In this fituation
all the fails were immediately taken in, and the boats hoifted
out to examine the depth of water round the ftiip: We foon
difeovered that our fears had not aggravated our misfortune,.