Page:Narrative of a survey of the intertropical and western coasts of Australia, Volume 1.djvu/415

 Rh laid out astern to check her; but before we could extricate her from the dangerous situation in which she was placed, it was found necessary to lay out another bower-anchor, for there was a rolling swell upon the bank, and, every time it left her, she struck very hard upon the ground. Happily the tide was flowing, and, as soon as the vessel floated, she was warped into a secure birth within the heads of the inlet.

During the time that the cutter had been on the bank, which was two hours and a half, she was continually striking; and, at one time, we heard a loud crash, which gave us reason to fear that some serious damage had happened. At first it was thought either that the pintles of the rudder were broken, or that the stern-post was rent; but, upon examination, both appeared to have escaped; and, as no leak was observed during the night, I indulged the hope that the noise was not occasioned by any accident that would inconvenience us, or oblige our premature return to Port Jackson. That this hope proved to be fallacious will soon appear; and, had the extent of the damage received been discovered before we left this anchorage, I should not have ventured further up the coast, but have immediately returned to Port Jackson. Had the tide been falling when the vessel struck, instead