Page:Colnett - Voyage to the South Pacific (IA cihm 33242).djvu/73

 The ail, already mentioned, kept tanding towards us, and, as night advanced, howed a light; at eight, being within a couple of miles of us, the whaling-mater et out to board her, but, dicovering on a near approach, that he was a Spanih veel, he thought it right to return; I hauled on a wind for the night, as did the Spaniard, with a view of continuing together till morning; but the thick weather, which was not dipered on the return of day, prevented us from eeing each other again; nor did we perceive the land till ten A. M. when we found ourelves et, during the night, within a few leagues of the Iles of Lobas le Terra, which, in certain poitions, bear uch a reemblance to each other, that it was difficult to ditinguih any difference between them: while, from the uncertainty of the currents on this coat, it might have been as naturally conjectured, that the current had et us as much one way as the other. As I had no inducement to beat back again nor any probability of accomplihing it, without taking a great offing, I continued on my coure, but never failed to conult with the whaling-mater before I hifted my ground.

The Ile Lobas le Mar, is divided into two parts, by a mall channel, which will only admit the paage of boats, and where the tide is very rapid.