., the extremity of the reef lying W.S.W. of us, and we being in 50 or
60 fathom, foul steep bottom. In the afternoon the wind began to abate,
but the current carried us to the west, while the rocks here fell off far
to westward, we being at about 87 miles' distance from the mainland by
estimation. We had a dead calm the whole night and drifted along the
rock, on which we heard the waves break the whole time.

On the 6th do. in the morning we had lost sight of the rocks; about 10
o'clock the wind began to blow from the W.N.W., so that we ran nearly in
the direction of the rocks. At noon we were in 28 deg. 44' S. Lat.; it began
to blow hard from the N.W., so that in the afternoon we kept tacking off
and on, and found ourselves carried northward by the current. In the
evening we stood out to sea away from the rocks again, and sounded in 40
fathom foul rocky bottom; this shallow here extends seaward S.E. and N.W.
In the evening it began to blow very hard, so that we had to run on with
shortened mainsails, the wind being variable.

On the 7th do. in the morning the wind abated, so that we made sail
again; at noon we found our latitude to be 29 deg. 30'; we went over to
northward to get sight of the mainland again, but the wind suddenly
turned sharply to W.N.W., so that we had to stand out to sea again.

On the 8th do. at noon we were in 29 deg. 7' S. Lat., course held N.E. In the
evening we saw the breakers again. We therefore stood out to sea on a
west-south-west course the whole night with a north-west-wind; and it
began to blow so hard that we had again to take in the topsails.

On the 9th do. in the morning we shaped our course to the land again; at
noon we were in Lat. 29 deg. and for the rest of the day we kept tacking off
and on; towards the evening there blew a storm from the N.W., so that we
could hardly keep our main-sails set.

On the 10th do. we made sail again in the morning; at noon we were in 29 deg.
30' S. Lat., with a westerly wind and a top-gallant gale.

On the 11th do. it was calm in the morning, but with a very hollow sea,
while the wind blew from the W.N.W., so that we could not get to the
north, if we did not wish to come upon or near the rocks. At noon we were
in 28 deg. 48' S. Lat. The wind continued variable, so that in the night we
had to drift with our foresail set until daybreak.

On the 12th do. we made sail again at daybreak, shaping our course to the
east. We ran on till noon, when we fo