the island, which we
called _Possession Island_, we re-embarked in our boat, but a rapid
ebb-tide setting N.E. made our return to the vessel very difficult and
tedious. From the time of our last coming among the shoals, we
constantly found a moderate tide, the flood setting to the N.W. and the
ebb to the S.E. At this place, it is high water at the full and change
of the moon, about one or two o'clock, and the water rises and falls
perpendicularly about twelve feet. We saw smoke rising in many places
from the adjacent lands and islands, as we had done upon every part of
the coast, after our last return to it through the reef.

We continued at anchor all night, and between seven and eight o'clock in
the morning, we saw three or four of the natives upon the beach
gathering shell-fish; we discovered, by the help of our glasses, that
they were women, and, like all the other inhabitants of this country,
stark naked. At low water, which happened about ten o'clock, we got
under sail, and stood to the S.W. with a light breeze at E. which
afterwards veered to N. by E.: Our depth of water was from six to ten
fathom, except in one place, where we had but five. At noon, Possession
Island bore N. 53 E., distant four leagues, the western extremity of the
main-land in sight bore S. 43 W., distant between four and five leagues,
and appeared to be extremely low, the south-west point of the largest
island on the north-west side of the passage bore N. 71 W., distant
eight miles, and this point I called _Cape Cornwall_. It lies in
latitude 10 deg. 43'S., longitude 219 deg. W.; and some lowlands that lie about
the middle of the passage, which I called _Wallis's Isles_, bore W. by
S. 1/2 S., distant about two leagues: Our latitude, by observation, was
10 deg. 46' S. We continued to advance with the tide of flood W.N.W. having
little wind, and from eight to five fathom water. At half an hour after
one, the pinnace, which was a-head, made the signal for shoal-water,
upon which we tacked, and sent away the yawl to sound also: We then
tacked again, and stood after them: In about two hours, they both made
the signal for shoal-water, and the tide being nearly at its greatest
height, I was afraid to stand on, as running aground at that time might
be fatal; I therefore came to an anchor in somewhat less than seven
fathom, sandy ground. Wallis's Islands bore S. by W. 1/2 W., distant
five or six miles, the islands to the northward extended from S. 73 E.