A General History & Collection of Voyages and Travels ... - Nauticus

y E. 1/2 E. In this direction we observed a partition in the reef, which we judged to be a channel, by thestrong tide which set out of it. From this place the reef inclined to the north for three or four leagues, andthen to the N.W. We followed its direction, and as we advanced to N.W., raised more land, which seemedto be connected with what we had seen before; so that Mr Gilbert was mistaken, and did not see theextremity of the coast. At five o'clock this land bore W. by N. 1/2 N., distant twenty miles; but what wecould see of the reef trended in the direction of N.W. by N.Having hauled the wind to the starboard tack, and spent the night plying, on the 14th, at sun-rise, the islandof Balabea bore S. 6 E., and the land seen the preceding night W., but the reef still trended N.W., alongwhich we steered with a light breeze at E.S.E. At noon we observed in latitude 19° 28', longitude fromObservatory Isle 27' W. We had now no sight of Balabea; and the other land, that is, the N.W. part of it,bore W. by S. 1/2 S., but we were not sure if this was one continued coast, or separate islands. For thoughsome partitions were seen, from space to space, which made it look like the latter, a multitude of shoalsrendered a nearer approach to it exceedingly dangerous, if not impracticable. In the afternoon, with a finebreeze at E.S.E., we ranged the outside of these shoals, which we found to trend in the direction of N.W.by W., N.W. by N., and N.N.E. At three o'clock we passed a low sandy isle, lying on the outer edge of thereef, in latitude 19° 25', and in the direction of N.E. from the north-westernmost land, six or seven leaguesdistant. So much as we could see of this space was strewed with shoals, seemingly detached from eachother; 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 thisdirection; the reef too trended away W. by N. 1/2 N., and seemed to terminate in a point which was seenfrom the mast- head. Thus every thing conspired to make us believe that we should soon get round theseshoals; and with these flattering expectations we hauled the wind, which was at E.N.E., and spent the nightmaking short boards.Next morning at sun-rise, seeing neither land nor breakers, we bore away N.W. by W., and two hours aftersaw the reef extending N.W. farther than the eye could reach; no land was to be seen. It was thereforeprobable that we had passed its N.W. extremity; and, as we had seen from the hills of Balade its extent tothe S.W., it was necessary to know how far it extended to the east or southeast, while it was in our powerto recover the coast; for, by following the direction of the shoals, we might have been carried so far toleeward as not to be able to beat back without considerable loss of time. We were already far out of sightof 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 whereno anchorage, without them, is to be found, induced me to abandon the design of proceeding round by theN.W., and to ply up to the S.E, in which direction I knew there was a clear sea. With this view we tackedand stood to the S.E., with the wind at N.E. by E., a gentle breeze. At this time we were in the latitude of19° 7' S., longitude 163° 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 fellcalm, and left us to the mercy of a great swell, setting directly on the reef, which was hardly a league fromus. We sounded, but found no bottom with a line of two hundred fathoms. I ordered the pinnace and cutterto be hoisted out to tow the ship, but they were of little use against so great a swell. We, however, foundthat the ship did not draw near the reef so fast as might be expected; and at seven o'clock a light air at N.N.E. kept her head to the sea, but it lasted no longer than midnight, when it was succeeded by a dead calm.At day-break on the 16th we had no sight of the reef; and at eleven, a breeze springing up at S.S.W., we