45' S. In The Afternoon, Finding The Ship To Drift Not Only To
The North, But In Shore Also, And
Being yet to the south of the bay we
passed the day before, I had thoughts of getting to an
Anchor before night,
while we had it in our power to make choice of a place. With this view,
having hoisted out two boats, one of them was sent ahead to tow the ship;
in the other Mr Gilbert went to sound for anchorage. Soon after, the towing
boat was sent to assist him. So much time was spent in sounding this bay,
that the ship drove past, which made it necessary to call the boats on
board to tow her off from the northern point. But this service was
performed by a breeze of wind, which, that moment, sprung up at S.W.; so
that as the boats got on board, we hoisted them in, and then bore up for
the north side of the island, intending once more to try to get round by
the east; Mr Gilbert informed me, that at the south part of the bay, he
found no soundings till close to a steep stone beach, where he landed to
taste a stream of water he saw there, which proved to be salt. Some people
were seen there, but they kept at a distance. Farther down the coast, that
is to the north, he found twenty, twenty-four, and thirty fathoms, three-
fourths of a mile, or a mile, from shore, the bottom a fine dark sand.
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