Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 1 (Stockdale).djvu/472

444 same shelter. The Commodore immediately gave orders to bear down under the fore-sail; and we were soon alongside of the Esperance, which was feebly defended from the waves by a little island. We were advised by those on board that frigate, to steer close to the land, in order to obtain a better station than they. In approaching near to the little island, we had the frightful spectacle of an impetuous sea which, when it had cleared the south point, opened, by its precipitate fury, a gulph which exposed to view part of the base of the rock. The dread of coming too near the land induced us to let go our anchor to windward of the Esperance, but not sufficiently within the anchoring place, to avoid falling foul of her, if our ship should drag her anchors. The danger was so much the greater, as our sheet-anchor could not hold fast the ship. The axes were in readiness to cut the masts, in order to give less hold to the wind, when our best bower secured us in our position.

We now rode at anchor in nineteen fathoms of water, with a bottom of quartzose sand, mixed with broken shells.

We were violently agitated by the waves, and exposed to almost the whole force of the wind; and we were apprehensive that our cables would give way, in which case we must have been dash- ed