r assuming a threatening appearance.

December 3.

The next day we passed the heads of Jervis Bay at the distance of three
or four leagues, and the course was altered to North and North by West
parallel to the coast. At noon an indifferent observation for the
latitude and a sight of the land, which for a few minutes was visible
through the squalls, showed that our situation was very much nearer to
the shore than we had expected, a circumstance that was attributed to a
current setting into the bight to the northward of Jervis Bay. The wind
from the eastward was light and baffling and this, added to the critical
situation we were in, made me very anxious to obtain an offing before
night for there was every appearance of a gale from the eastward.

After two or three squalls a breeze sprung up from the East-South-East
with heavy rain, and a North-North-East course was steered, which should
have taken us wide of the coast: having run thirty-seven miles on that
course we steered North by East four miles and then North 1/2 West that
we might not be more than twenty miles from the shore in the morning and
sufficiently near to see the lighthouse on the south head of Port
Jackson; but, from an unusual westerly current, we found ourselves, very
nearly to our destruction, considerably out of our reckoning.

December 4.

At 2 hours 40 minutes a.m., by the glare of a flash of lightning, the
land was suddenly discovered close under our lee: we hauled to the wind
immediately but the breeze at the same moment fell, and the swell being
heavy, the cutter made but little progress. Sail was made as quickly as
possible and as the cutter headed North-North-East there was every
likelihood of her clearing the land; but a quarter of an hour afterwards,
by the light of another flash, it was again seen close to us, stretching
from right ahead to our lee-quarter and so near that the breakers were
distinctly seen gleaming through the darkness of the night. A third flash
of lightning confirmed our fears as to the dangerous situation we were
in; and as there was not room to veer the helm was immediately put a-lee;
but, as was feared, the cutter refused stays. We were now obliged to veer
as a last resource, and the sails being manoeuvred so as to perform this
operation as quickly as possible, we fortunately succeeded in the attempt
and the cutter's head was brought to the wind upon the other tack without
her striking the rocks: we were now obliged