ich I well knew from a coasting voyage I had made round the
island in a cruiser the year before when I came out to join the
_London_, and I recollected that this headland ran out into the sea in a
north-westerly point, so that, if we could contrive to get the boat to
leeward of the cape, we would soon be in comparatively still water and
protected alike from the force of the wind and the rolling waves.

"I sang out to the men therefore to get their oars out ready, and,
watching my opportunity when we were just almost abreast of Cape Tangan,
I told Adams, who was in the centre of the boat now, to lower away the
mainsail, directing the others at the same time to pull with a will, as
their lives depended on our rounding the promontory, against which it
looked as if we were going to be hurled as we came up to it--it was so
terribly near and frowning over us!

"This plan fortunately succeeded, for in another minute, during which I
held my breath in suspense, we were round the cape and in still water,
although close to a coral reef that girdled the land, which was still
some three miles off. We really were safe for the time and dropped our
anchor, glad enough at our escape; but I saw that the haven could only
be of temporary assistance to us, for should the wind shift more to the
northwards we would even be in a worse position than when scudding
before the gale, as the reef would then be immediately to leeward of us
and the gale in our face.

"It would serve no good, however, to meet evil half-way, so as the men
were all dead tired out and exhausted with hunger, having eaten nothing
since dinner the day before the storm set in, I ordered the provisions
to be served out, telling them after that to lie down and have a good
sleep in the bottom of the boat while I remained on the watch till
morning, having had less exertion than any of them.

"But the poor fellows did not have half so long a rest as that. Towards
midnight--it seemed indeed as if all our misfortunes came at that time--
the pinnace dragged her anchor and drifted on to the reef, when I had to
rouse all hands to jump out in the darkness and shove her off again
before she knocked a hole in her bottom. Then, no sooner were we afloat
again than the wind veered round, just as I had fancied it would do,
without the slightest warning, to the northward.

"This of course rendered it impossible for us to remain any longer under
the lee of the cliff, our anchorage there