Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 1 (Stockdale).djvu/471

] extricate ourselves, were unsuccessful: we always fell back into our dangerous situation, there to beat about, in a space abounding with sunken rocks, at different depths, on which the ship was in danger every instant of being dashed to pieces; and it required an experienced eye to distinguish those rocks, in a sea so strongly agitated. Citizen Raoul, a very skilful young mariner, in whom our Commander had great confidence, was at the mast head, directing the movements of the ship. Many times we were carried close to rocks concealed by the waves; but he conducted us safely past them all, though it was very difficult to distinguish them, even at a small distance.

The Esperance, which did not keep to windward so well as our ship, was close in with the shore, having no other alternative than to cast anchor or be stranded. About one P.M. we saw her at a considerable distance, in a place where we did not think she could come to an anchor. She had clued up all her sails; and we were very uneasy about her, being apprehensive that she had struck. But the steadiness of her masts soon removed our fears, by shewing us that she was riding at anchor. Her distance, however, and the force of the wind, hindered us from distinguishing her signals.

We did not hesitate to have recourse to the same