Page:Early voyages to Terra Australis.djvu/242

 86 ACCOUNT OF THE WRECK

light hung out as a guide to the boat on its return. They ran great risk of driving upon the rocks. At midnight, the cable parting, another anchor was dropped.

On the 2ord, the weather being still boisterous, and they themselves in great distress and nothing seen of the boat, fears were entertained that it might have capsized or been dashed against the rocks. They were afterwards compelled to cut their cable and run out to sea.

On the 27th, they sighted the island again, and ran so near the coast that they might have been seen by a man on the beach. Several guns were fired toward the place where the boat had last gone to land, but neither sign nor sound being observed, it was taken for certain that they had been lost, and resolved that they should sail along the coast to- ward Batavia. The fire was again seen at dusk close to the sea-line, which they supposed to have been lighted by the crew of the DraecJc or the Waeckende Boey, as no such fire had been seen before. A gun was fired, whereupon another fire close to the first became visible. But having neither boat nor schuyt, it was impossible to land and equally so to come to anchor ; the bottom being coral-rock.

On the 29th, they found themselves at some distance to the north of the point where the fire was seen. The coast became more level as they proceeded, and they sailed along the shore till sunset, when they again run further out to sea ; in the course of the second watch they passed the Tortel- duyf cliff, the surf breaking on it being plainly visible.

On the oOth, the weather not permitting them to run close in, they remained at some distance off shore. On the 31st, they were distant five miles from the Dirck Hertogs Eeede, and on April 10th, arrived at Java.^

^ From another extract from these IMS. logbooks at the Hague, which was made at the editor's request, there was au additioual observation of importance which is here omitted. Three times Captain Jouck speaks of a southern current running along the coast, which struck his atteu-