Page:Journal of the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks.djvu/333

Rh when we were called up with the alarming news of the ship being fast upon a rock, of which she in a few moments convinced us by beating very violently against it. Our situation became now greatly alarming; we had stood off shore three hours and a half with a pleasant breeze, so knew we could not be very near it. We were little less than certain that we were upon sunken coral rocks, the most dreadful of all, on account of their sharp points and grinding quality, which cut through a ship's bottom almost immediately. The officers, however, behaved with inimitable coolness, free from all hurry and confusion. A boat was got out in which the master went, and after sounding round the ship found that she had run over a rock, and consequently had shoal water all round her. All this time she continued to beat very much, so that we could hardly keep our legs upon the quarter-deck. By the light of the moon we could see her sheathing-boards, etc., floating thickly around her, and about twelve her false keel came away.

11th. In the meanwhile all kind of preparations were making for carrying out anchors, but by reason of the time it took to hoist out boats, etc., the tide ebbed so much that we found it impossible to attempt to get her off till next high water, if she would hold together so long. We now found to add to our misfortune that we had got ashore nearly at the top of high water; and as night tides generally rise higher than the day ones we had little hopes of getting off even then. For our comfort, however, the ship as the tide ebbed settled to the rocks, and did not beat nearly so much as she had done. A rock, however, under her starboard bow kept grating her bottom, making a noise very plainly to be heard in the fore store-rooms; this we doubted not would make a hole; we only hoped that it might not let in more water than we could clear with our pumps.

In this situation day broke upon us and showed us the land about eight leagues off, as we judged; nearer than that was no island or place where we could set foot. Day, however, brought with it a decrease of wind, and soon after that a flat calm, the most fortunate circumstance that could