Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 1 (Stockdale).djvu/288

266 At noon our lat. was 6° 13′ 11″ S. and our long. 152° 7′ 51″ E. We brought to, and remained there till two o'clock.

Several trunks of trees floated alongside. On one of those which the boats brought, we observed a very old notch, which shewed that the inhabitants of the neighbouring island are in possession of instruments which cut very clean. Perhaps they still retain some of the axes, which General Bougainville gave them.

We drove insensibly towards a shoal; but we saw it in good time and avoided it.

Though the watches were ordered to redouble their attention, we found ourselves about half past three upon another shoal, which it was necessary for us to clear like the first, at the risk of seeing the vessel drive against the rocks. There was the same depth of water as before. The surge was rendered very strong by this bank of coral.

Our position was the more dangerous, as night approached, and those shoals being at some distance from the coast, gave us reason to apprehend that we should meet with others still farther off. How were we to avoid them, during the darkness of the night? We must trust to chance the security of our ship. We brought to, till day light, the ship's head to the south-west, and we