At Three, More Breakers Appeared, Extending From The Low Isles Towards
The S.E. We Now Hauled Out Close To The Wind, And, In An Hour And A Half,
Were Almost On Board The Breakers, And Obliged To Tack.
From the mast-head
they were seen to extend as far as E.S.E., and the smoothness of the sea
made it probable that they extended to the north of east, and that we were
in a manner surrounded by them.
At this time the hill on the Isle of Pines
bore N. 71 1/2 E., the foreland N. 1/4 W., and the most advanced point of
land on the S.W. coast bore N.W., distant fifteen or sixteen leagues. This
direction of the S.W. coast, which was rather within the parallel of the
N.E., assured us that this land extended no farther to the S.W. After
making a short trip to N.N.E., we stood again to the south, in expectation
of having a better view of the shoals before sun-set. We gained nothing by
this but the prospect of a sea strewed with shoals, which we could not
clear but by returning in the track by which we came. We tacked nearly in
the same place where we had tacked before, and on sounding found a bottom
of fine sand. But anchoring in a strong gale, with a chain of breakers to
leeward, being the last resource, I rather chose to spend the night in
making short boards over that space we had, in some measure, made ourselves
acquainted with in the day: And thus it was spent, but under the terrible
apprehension, every moment, of falling on some of the many dangers which
surrounded us.
Day-light shewed that our fears were not ill-founded, and that we had been
in the most imminent danger; having had breakers continually under our lee,
and at a very little distance from us. We owed our safety to the
interposition of Providence, a good look-out, and the very brisk manner in
which the ship was managed; for, as we were standing to the north, the
people on the lee-gangway and forecastle saw breakers under the lee-bow,
which we escaped by quickly tacking the ship.
I was now almost tired of a coast which I could no longer explore, but at
the risk of losing the ship, and ruining the whole voyage. I was, however,
determined not to leave it, till I knew what trees those were which had
been the subject of our speculation; especially as they appeared to be of a
sort useful to shipping, and had not been seen any where but in the
southern part of this land. With this view, after making a trip to the
south, to weather the shoals under our lee, we stood to the north, in hopes
of finding anchorage under some of the islets on which these trees grow. We
were stopped by eight o'clock by the shoals which lie extended between the
Isle of Pines and Queen Charlotte's Foreland; and found soundings off them
in fifty-five, forty, and thirty-six fathoms, a fine sandy bottom.
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