In Order To Obtain A
Knowledge Of The Former, I Sent The Master With A Boat To Sound, And, In
The Mean Time, We Stood On And Off With The Ship.
At this time four or five
people were seen on the reef, which lies round the isle, and about three
times that number on the shore.
As the boat advanced, those on the reef
retired and joined the others; and when the boat landed they all fled to
the woods. It was not long before the boat returned, when the master
informed me that there were no soundings without the reef, over which, in
one place only, he found a boat channel of six feet water. Entering by it,
he rowed in for the shore, thinking to speak with the people, not more than
twenty in number, who were armed with clubs and spears; but the moment he
set his foot on shore, they retired to the woods. He left on the rocks some
medals, nails, and a knife, which they no doubt found, as some were seen
near the place afterwards. This island is not quite a league in length, in
the direction of N.E. and S.W., and not half that in breadth. It is covered
with wood, and surrounded by a reef of coral rocks, which in some places
extend two miles from the shore. It seems to be too small to contain many
inhabitants; and probably the few whom we saw, may have come from some isle
in the neighbourhood to fish for turtle; as many were seen near this reef,
and occasioned that name to be given to the island, which is situated in
latitude 19 deg.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 649 of 885
Words from 175262 to 175545
of 239428
