appearance of an island, N.; and a shoal, a small sandy part of
which appeared above water, bore N.E., distant between two and three
miles: In standing 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 ship. In the
morning of the 6th, we had a strong gale, so that instead of weighing,
we were obliged to veer away more cable, and strike our top-gallant
yards. At low water, myself, with several of the officers, kept a
look-out at the mast-head to see if any passage could be discovered
between the shoals, but nothing was in view except breakers, extending
from the S. round by the E. as far as N.W., and out to sea beyond the
reach of our sight; these breakers, however, did not appear to be caused
by one continued shoal, but by several which lay detached from each
other: On that which lay farthest to the eastward, the sea broke very
high, which made me think it was the outermost, for upon many of these
within, the breakers were inconsiderable, and from about half ebb to
half flood, they were not to be seen at all, which makes sailing among
them still more dangerous, especially as the shoals here consist
principally of coral rocks, which are as steep as a wall; upon some of
them, however, and generally at the north end, there are patches of
sand, which are covered only at high water, and which are to be
discerned at some distance. Being now convinced that there was no
passage to sea but through the labyrinth formed by these shoals, I was
altogether at a loss which way to steer, when the weather should permit
us to get under sail. It was the master's opinion that we should beat
back the way we came, but this would have been an endless labour, as the
wind blew strongly from that quarter, almost without intermission; on
the other hand, if no passage could be found to the northward, we should
be compelled to take that measure at last. These anxious deliberations
engaged us till eleven o'clock at night, when the ship drove, and
obliged us to veer away to a cable and one third, which brought her up;
but in the morning, the gale increasing, she drove again, and we
therefore let go the small bower, and veered away to a whole cable upon
it, and two cables on the other anchors, yet she still drove, though not
so fast; we then got down top ga