,
and N.N.E. At three o'clock we passed a low sandy isle, lying on the outer
edge of the reef, in latitude 19 deg. 25', and in the direction of N.E. from
the north-westernmost land, six or seven leagues distant. So much as we
could see of this space was strewed with shoals, seemingly detached from
each other; and the channel leading in amongst them appeared to be on the
S.E. side of the sandy isle; at least, there was a space where the sea did
not break. At sun-set we could but just see the land, which bore S.W. by
S., about ten leagues distant. A clear horizon produced the discovery of no
land to the westward of this direction; the reef too trended away W. by N.
1/2 N., and seemed to terminate in a point which was seen from the mast-head.
Thus every thing conspired to make us believe that we should soon get
round these shoals; and with these flattering expectations we hauled the
wind, which was at E.N.E., and spent the night making short boards.

Next morning at sun-rise, seeing neither land nor breakers, we bore away
N.W. by W., and two hours after saw the reef extending N.W. farther than
the eye could reach; no land was to be seen. It was therefore probable that
we had passed its N.W. extremity; and, as we had seen from the hills of
Balade its extent to the S.W., it was necessary to know how far it extended
to the east or southeast, while it was in our power to recover the coast;
for, by following the direction of the shoals, we might have been carried
so far to leeward as not to be able to beat back without considerable loss
of time. We were already far out of sight of land; and there was no knowing
how much farther we might be carried, before we found an end to them. These
considerations, together with the risk we must run in exploring a sea
strewed with shoals, and where no anchorage, without them, is to be found,
induced me to abandon the design of proceeding round by the N.W., and to
ply up to the S.E., in which direction I knew there was a clear sea. With
this view we tacked and stood to the S.E., with the wind at N.E. by E., a
gentle breeze. At this time we were in the latitude of 19 deg. 7' S., longitude
163 deg. 57' E.

In standing to the S.E. we did but just weather the point of the reef we
had passed the preceding evening. To make our situation the more dangerous
the wind began to fail us; and at three in the afternoon it fell calm, and
left us to the mercy of a great swell, setting directly on the reef, wh