Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 1 (Stockdale).djvu/469

] the sea is doubtless the principal resource of those people, who inhabit so barren a soil.

At noon, we were in 34° 11′ south latitude, and 118° 22′ east longitude, when the little island already mentioned bore N. 38° W. at the distance of 1,020 toises.

Other fires lighted along the coast, sent up large columns of smoke, intended no doubt, by the inhabitants, to let us know that they were there.

About half past four o'clock, we stood away from a little island, distant 20,500 toises from the coast. It was joined to a series of reefs, which extended above 510 toises towards the east. The lead then indicated ten fathoms water, but some time afterwards, twenty-one fathoms of line did not reach the bottom.

We were becalmed, a short space, towards the close of the day; but a small breeze at south-east soon sprung up, and permitted us to stretch to the south-west, which course we held during the whole night.

We hove the lead every hour, and had a bottom of quartzose sand, mixed with broken shells and coral, at a depth varying from twenty-five to thirty-three fathoms.

11th. This morning, we stood towards the east,