where, according to the
information of our friends, there was anchorage. It was one o'clock in
the afternoon before we got soundings under the lee or N.W. side, in
forty fathoms water, near half a mile from the shore; but the bank was
steep, and the bottom rocky, and a chain of breakers lay to leeward. All
these circumstances being against us, I stretched away for Kotoo, with
the expectation of finding better anchoring ground under that island.
But so much time had been spent in plying up to Lofanga, that it was
dark before we reached the other; and finding no place to anchor in, the
night was spent as the preceding one.

At day-break on the 31st I stood for the channel, which is between Kotoo
and the reef of rocks that lie to the westward of it; but, on drawing
near, I found the wind too scant to lead us through. I therefore bore up
on the outside of the reef, and stretched to the S.W. till near noon,
when, perceiving that we made no progress to windward, and being
apprehensive of losing the islands with so many of the natives on board,
I tacked and stood back, intending to wait till some more favourable
opportunity. We did but just fetch in with Footooba, between which and
Kotoo we spent the night, under reefed top-sails and fore-sail. The wind
blew fresh, and by squalls, with rain; and we were not without
apprehensions of danger. I kept the deck till midnight, when I left it
to the master, with such directions as I thought would keep the ships
clear of the shoals and rocks that lay round us. But, after making a
trip to the N., and standing back again to the S., our ship, by a small
shift of the wind, fetched farther to the windward than was expected. By
this means she was very near running full upon a low sandy isle, called
Pootoo Pootooa, surrounded with breakers. It happened, very fortunately,
that the people had just been ordered upon the deck to put the ship
about, and the most of them were at their stations, so that the
necessary movements were not only executed with judgment, but also with
alertness, and this alone saved us from destruction. The Discovery being
a-stern was out of danger. Such hazardous situations are the unavoidable
companions of the man who goes upon a voyage of discovery.

This circumstance frightened our passengers so much that they expressed
a strong desire to get ashore. Accordingly, as soon as day-light
returned, I hoisted out a boat, and ordered the officer who commanded
her, after land