1779. parts of the country that we faw, are memorials of dif June. trefs; but here we became acquainted with misfortune, and we therefore called the point which we had just feen fartheft to the northward, CAPE TRIBULATION.

This Cape lies in latitude 16° 6' S. and longitude 214° 39′ W. We steered along the fhore N. by W. at the distance of between three and four leagues, having from fourteen to twelve and ten fathoms water: in the offing we faw two islands, which lie in latitude 16o S. and about fix or feven leagues from the main. At fix in the evening, the northernmost land in fight bore N. by W. W. and two low woody iflands, which some of us took to be rocks above water, bore N. W. At this time we shortened fail, and hauled off fhore E. N. E. and N. E. by E. clofe upon a wind, for it was my design to stretch off all night, as well to avoid the danger we faw a-head, as to fee whether any islands lay in the offing, especially as we were now near the latitude affigned to the islands which were discovered by Quiros, and which fome geographers, for what reafon I know not, have thought fit to join to this land. We had the advantage of a fine breeze, and a clear moonlight night, and in ftanding off from fix till near nine o'clock, we deepened our water from fourteen to twenty-one fathoms; but while we were at fupper it fuddenly shoaled, and we fell into twelve, ten, and eight fathoms, within the space of a few minutes; I immediately ordered every body to their station, and all was ready to put about and come to an anchor, but meeting at the next caft of the lead with deep water again, we concluded that we had gone over the tail of the fhoals which we had seen at fun-fet, and that all danger was past: before ten, we had twenty and one and twenty fathoms, and this depth continuing, the gentlemen left the deck in great tranquillity, and went to bed; but a few minutes before eleven, the water fhallowed at once from twenty to seventeen fathoms, and before the lead could be caft again, the ship ftruck, and remained immoveable, except by the heaving of the furge, that beat her against the crags of the rock upon which the lay. In a few moments every body was upon the deck, with coun

tenances

tenances which fufficiently expreffed the horrors of our fituation. We had stood off the fhore three hours and a half, with a pleasant breeze, and therefore knew that we could not be very near it, and we had too much reason to conclude that we were upon a rock of coral, which is more fatal than any other, because the points of it are sharp, and every part of the furface fo rough as to grind away whatever is rubbed against it, even with the gentleft motion. In this fituation all the fails were immediately taken in, and the boats hoisted out to examine the depth of water round the ship: we foon difcovered that our fears had not aggravated our misfortune, and that the veffel had been lifted over a ledge of the rock, and lay in a hollow within it: in fome places there was from three to four fathoms, and in others not fo many feet. The fhip lay with her head to the N. E. and at the distance of about thirty yards on the starboard fide, the water deepened to eight, ten, and twelve fathoms. As foon as the long-boat was out, we ftruck our yards and top-mafts, and carried out the ftream anchor on the ftarboard bow, got the coafting anchor and cable into the boat, and were going to carry it out the fame way; but upon founding a fecond time round the fhip, the water was found deepest a-ftern: the anchor therefore was carried out from the ftarboard quarter instead of the starboard bow, that is, from the ftern inftead of the head, and having taken ground, our utmoft force was applied to the capftan, hoping that if the anchor did not come home, the ship would be got off, but to our great misfortune and difappointment we could not move her: during all this time the continued to beat with great violence against the rock, fo that it was with the utmost difficulty that we kept upon our legs; and to complete the scene of diftrefs, we faw, by the light of the moon, the theathing boards from the bottom of the veffel floating away all round her, and at laft her falfe keel, fo that every moment was making way for the fea to rush in which was to swallow us up. We had now no chance but to lighten her, and we had loft the opportunity of doing that to the greatest advantage, for unhappily we went en fhore juft at high water, and by this time it had

con

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June.

1770. confiderably fallen, so that after she should be lightened June.fo as to draw as much less water as the water had funk,

Monday 11.

we should be but in the fame fituation as at first; and the only alleviation of this circumflance was, that as the tide ebbed the ship settled to the rocks, and was not beaten against them with fo much violence. We had indeed fome hope from the next tide, but it was doubtful whether she would hold together fo long, especially as the rock kept grating her bottom under the starboard bow with fuch force as to be heard in the fore storeroom. This however was no time to indulge conjecture, nor was any effort remitted in despair of success: that no time might be loft, the water was immediately ftarted in the hold, and pumped up; fix of our guns, being all we had upon the deck, our iron and ftone ballaft, cafks, hoop ftaves, oil jars, decayed ftores, and many other things that lay in the way of heavier materials, were thrown overboard with the utmost expedition, every one exerting himself with an alacrity almost approaching to chearfulness, without the leaft repining or discontent; yet the men were fo far impreft with a fense of their fituation, that not an oath was heard among them, the habit of profaneness, however ftrong, being inftantly fubdued, by the dread of incurring guilt when death feemed to be so near.

While we were thus employed, day broke upon us, and we saw the land at about eight leagues distance, without any island in the intermediate fpace, upon which, if the fhip fhould have gone to pieces, we might have been fet a-fhore by the boats, and from which they might have taken us by different turns to the main the wind however gradually died away, and early in the forenoon it was a dead calm; if it had blown hard, the fhip muft inevitably have been deftroyed. At eleven in the forenoon we expected high water, and anchors were got out, and every thing made ready for another effort to heave her off if the fhould float, but to our inexpreffible furprize and concern she did not float by a foot and an half, though we had lightened her near fifty ton, fo much did the day-tide fall fhort of that in the night. We now proceeded to lighten her ftill more, and threw overboard

4

every thing that it was poffible for us to fpare: hitherto she had not admitted much water, but as the tide fell, it rushed in fo faft, that two pumps, inceffantly worked, could fcarcely keep her free. At two o'clock fhe lay heeling two or three ftreaks to starboard, and the pinnace, which lay under her bows, touched the ground: we had now no hope but from the tide at midnight, and to prepare for it we carried out our two bower anchors, one on the starboard quarter, and the other right aftern, got the blocks and tackle which were to give us a purchase upon the cables in order, and brought the falls, or ends of them, in a-baft, straining them tight, that the next effort might operate upon the ship, and by fhortening the length of the cable between that of the anchors, draw her off the ledge upon which the rested, towards the deep water. About five o'clock in the afternoon, we obferved the tide begin to rife, but we observed at the same time that the leak increased to a moft alarming degree, fo that two more pumps were manned, but unhappily only one of them would work three of the pumps however were kept going, and at nine o'clock the ship righted, but the leak had gained upon us fo confiderably, that it was imagined the must go to the bottom as foon as the ceafed to be fupported by the rock: this was a dreadful circumstance, so that we anticipated the floating of the ship not as an earneft of deliverance, but as an event that would probably precipitate our deftruction. We well knew that our boats were not capable of carrying us all on fhore, and that when the dreadful crifis fhould arrive, as all command and fubordination would be at an end, a contest for preference would probably enfue, that would increase the horrors even of fhip-wreck, and terminate in the deftruction of us all by the hands of each other; yet we knew that if any should be left on board to perish in the waves, they would probably fuffer lefs upon the whole than those who should get on fhore, without any lafting or effectual defence against the natives, in a country, where even nets and fire-arms would fcarcely furnish them with food; and where, if they should find the means of subsistence, they must be condemned to languish out the remainder of life in a defolate

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1770.

desolate wilderness, without the poffeffion, or even hope, June. of any domestic comfort, and cut off from all commerce with mankind, except the naked favages who prowled the defert, and who perhaps were fome of the most rude and uncivilized upon the earth.

To those only who have waited in a state of fuch fufpence, death has approached in all his terrors; and as the dreadful moment that was to determine our fate came on, every one faw his own fenfations pictured in the countenances of his companions: however, the capftan and windlace were manned with as many hands as could be fpared from the pumps, and the fhip floating about twenty minutes after ten o'clock, the effort was made, and she was heaved into deep water. It was fome comfort to find that she did not now admit more water than fhe had done upon the rock; and though, by the gaining of the leak upon the pumps, there was no lefs than three feet nine inches water in the hold, yet the men did not relinquish their labour, and we held the water as it were at bay; but having now endured exceffive fatigue of body and agitation of mind for more than four-and-twenty hours, and having but little hope of fucceeding at laft, they began to flag: none of them could work at the pump more than five or fix minutes together, and then, being totally exhausted, they threw themselves down upon the deck, though a stream of water was running over it from the pumps between three and four inches deep; when those who fucceeded them had worked their spell, and were exhaufted in their turn, they threw themselves down in the fame manner, and the others started up again, and renewed their labour; thus relieving each other till an accident was very near putting an end to their efforts at once. The planking which lines the infide of the fhip's bottom is called the cieling, and between this, and the outfide planking, there is a space of about eighteen inches: the man who till this time had attended the well to take the depth of water, had taken it only to the cieling, and gave the measure accordingly; but he being now relieved, the perfon who came in his ftead, reckoned the depth to the outside planking, by which it appeared in a few minutes to have gained upon the pumps eigh

teen