Page:Narrative of a survey of the intertropical and western coasts of Australia, Volume 1.djvu/449

 Rh which in the event of bad weather may be retained as long as is requisite or convenient. No time is lost by the delay, for the anchor may be dropped in the ship's immediate track; and, if the cargo consists of live animals, such as horses, cattle, or sheep, grass may be obtained for them from the islands near the anchorage.

In the outer passage, the sea is strewed with numerous reefs, many yet unknown, which render the navigation at night extremely dangerous; and if, on approaching the part where it is intended to enter the reefs, the weather should be thick, and the sun to clouded at noon to procure an observation for the latitude, the navigator is placed in a very anxious and a very unenviable situation; for the currents are so strong, that the position of the ship is by no means sufficiently known, to risk running to leeward to make the reefs. The ensuring night must, therefore, in all probability be passed in the greatest uncertainty, and in the vicinity of extensive coral reefs.