Page:A Voyage to Terra Australis Volume 1.djvu/183

East Coast, & V.D.'s Land.]

In the evening it fell calm, and the tide being favourable, we rowed back for Hamilton's Road; but a fair breeze springing up when abreast of it, instead of anchoring we made all sail to the west-south-west for Van Diemen's Land.

On the 25th at day-light, the Ninth Island bore south, five miles; the wind had then shifted to N. by W., and blew strong, with rainy weather; and at eight o'clock, it was at N.W. by W., and obliged us to tack off shore. This gale cleared away on the 26th, and at noon our situation was in We were then steering south-westward again with a fair breeze; but had scarcely passed Stony Head, next morning, when another gale sprung up from the north-west. It was a happy circumstance that we were able to reach our new discovered port, and take refuge at the former secure anchorage near the Shag Rocks; for this gale was more violent and of longer continuance than any of the preceding. This long succession of adverse winds caused us almost to despair of accomplishing the principal object of the voyage; for of the twelve weeks, to which our absence from Port Jackson was limited, nearly eight were already expired.

Dec. 2. The gale moderated, and we made an attempt to continue the voyage, but were driven back. On the 3rd, the attempt was repeated; and the wind being light, we anchored at the entrance of the port, to prevent losing by the flood what had been gained by the ebb tide. In the evening a fair wind sprung up; and at length, to our great satisfaction, we were enabled to proceed in the discovery of the strait.

The harbour, which we entered with so much pleasure on Nov. 3,