I Was Edging In A Little Towards The Land, Thinking To Have
Anchored; But Presently After The Water Decreased Almost At Once,
Till We Had But Five Fathom.
I durst, therefore, adventure no
farther, but steered out the same way that we came in, and in a
short time had ten fathom (being then about four leagues and a half
from the shore), and even soundings.
I steered away east-north-
east, coasting along as the land lies. This day the sea breezes
began to be very moderate again, and we made the best of our way
along shore, only in the night edging off a little for fear of
shoals. Ever since we left Shark's Bay we had fair clear weather,
and so for a great while still.
The 27th day we had twenty fathom water all night, yet we could not
see land till one in the afternoon from our topmast-head. By three
we could just discern land from our quarter-deck; we had then
sixteen fathom. The wind was at north, and we steered east-by-
north, which is but one point in on the land; yet we decreased our
water very fast, for at four we had but nine fathom, the next cast
but seven, which frightened us; and we then tacked instantly and
steed off, but in a short time the wind coming at north-west and
west-north-west, we tacked again and steered north-north-east, and
then deepened our water again, and had all night from fifteen to
twenty fathom.
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