Page:Early voyages to Terra Australis.djvu/309

 dampikr's voyages. 153

"svhich is two hundred and thirty-two leagaics tho' we differ in latitude. And to confirm my conjecture that the line of his course is made too near the shore, at least not far to the east of this place, the water is there so shallow that he could not come there so high.

But to proceed ; in the night we had a small land breeze, and in the morning I weighed anchor, designing to run in among the islands, for they had large channels between them, of a league wide at least, and some two or three leagues wide. I sent in my boat before to sound, and if they found shoal water to return again ; but if they found water enough, to go ashore on one of the islands, and stay till the ship came in : where they might in the mean time search for water. So we followed after with the ship, sounding as we went in, and had twenty fathoms, till within two leagues of the Bluff head, and then we had shoal water, and very uncertain soundings : yet we ran in still with an easy sail, sounding and looking ovit well, for this was dangerous work. When we came abreast of the Bluff head, and about two mile from it, we had but seven fathom : then we edg'd away from it, but had no more water ; and running in a little farther, we had but four fathoms ; so we anchored immediately ;; and yet when we had veered out the third of a cable, Ave had seven fathom water again ; so uncertain was the water. My boat came immediately aboard, and told me that the island was very rocky and dry, and they had little hopes of finding Avater there. I sent them to sound, and bad them, if they found a channel of eight or ten fathom Avater, to keep on and Ave Avould folloAv with the ship. AV^e were now about four leagues Avithin the outer small rocky islands, but still could see nothing but islands within us ; some five or six leagues long, others not above a mile round. The large islands were pretty high ; but all appeared dry, and mostly rocky and barren. The rocks look'd of a rusty yelloAv colour, and therefore I despaired of getting Avater on any of them ; but was in some

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