148
i77°- not fafEkiently agitated' to wafb off. By the fuccefs of this
j expedient our leak was tfoi far rediueed, that inftead of gain-
luctday 12. Up0n three pumps» it was eafily kept under with one.
This was a new fource of confidence and comfort; the people
could fcarcely have expreffed* more joy if they had been
already in port; and their views were.'fia far from being
limited to running the fhip alhore in fome harbour, either
oftan ifland or the main, and building a veflel out of her
materials to carry us to the Eaft Indies-» which had fo lately
been the utmoft object of ou-r hope, that nothing was now
thought of but ranging along the fhore in- fearch of a.convenient
place to repair the damage Ihe had fuflained, and
then profecuting the voyage upon the fame plan as if nothing
had happened. Upon this occafion I muft obferye,
both in juftice and gratitude to the fhip’s company, and the
Gentlemen on board, that although in the midfl of our dif,
trefs every one feemed to have a juft fepfe o f his danger,.yet
no paflionate exclamations, or frantic geftures,, were to be
heard or feen; every one appeared to have the perfedl pof-
feflion of his mind, and every one exerted himfelf to the ,ut-
termoft, with a quiet and patient perfeverance,. equally dif-
tant from the tumultuous vio!enee.of terror, and the gloomy
inactivity of defpair,
In the mean time, having light airs at E. S. E. we got up
the main-topmaft, and main-yard, and kept1,edging in for
the land, till about fix o’clock in the evening,.when we came
to an anchor in feventeen fathom water, at the diftance of
feven leagues from the fhore, and one from the ledge of
rocks upon which we,had ftruck.
This ledge or fhoal lies in latitude 150 4-5' S. and between
fix and feven leagues From the main. It is not however the
only fhoal on this part of the coaft, efpecially to the northward;
ward; and: at this'time we faw one to the fouthward, the 17-0.
tail of which We paffed over, when we-had uneven found- , . >■
ings about two hours before we ftruek. A parfo-f this, fhoal T'ua*>"“ i
is always above water, and has -the appearance of white
fand : a part alfo of that upon which we had lain is dry at
low water, and in that place confifts of fand ftones ; but all
the reft of it is a coral rock.
While we lay at anchor for the night, We found that the-
fhip made about fifteen inches water an hour, from which
no immediate danger was to be apprehended; and at fix
o’clock in the morning, we weighed and flood to the N.W. W£dnef- 13.
ftill edging in for the land with a gentle breeze at S.S.E.
At nine we paffed clofe without two fmall iflands that lie in
latitude 150 41' S. and about four leagues from the main: to
reach thefe iflands had, in the height o f our diftrefs, been the
objeft of our hope, or perhaps rather of our wifhes, and
therefore I called them Hope Islands; At noon we were
about three leagues from the land, and in latitude 15* w S f j
the northermoft part of the main in fight bore N. 30 W.; and
Hope Iflands extended from S. 30 E. to S. 40 E. In this fitua-
tioh we had twelve fathom water, and feveral fand-banks
without us. At this time the leak had not increafed; but
that we might be prepared for all events, we got the fail
ready for another fothering. In the afternoon, having a
gentle breeze at S. E. by E. I fent out the Mafter with two
boats, as well to found ahead of the fhip, as to look out for
a-harbour where we might repair our defedls, and put the
fhip in a proper trim. At three o’clock, we faw an opening
that had the appearance of an harbour, and flood off and on
while the boats examined i t ; but they foon found that there
was not depth of water in it fufficient for the fhip. When
it was near funfet, there being many fhoals about us, We
8 anchored