Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 2 (Stockdale).djvu/364

304 ranged along its northern coast, standing to the west, in order to weather the westerly point. We here met with a flat which is not indicated upon the charts, where the soundings gave us a depth of from four to eight fathoms, within a space of about 300 toises in length, which we were obliged to cross. We observed in different places, rocks almost even with the water's edge, but were fortunate enough to keep clear of them. The greatest length of this flat is about 1,000 toises from north to south.

On the 4th of we cast anchor in the road-stead of Bourou, at the distance of 1,000 toises from the Dutch settlement, in a depth of 20 fathoms, over a bottom of sand and mud. The Commander of this station immediately sent a corporal to us, to offer us a supply of whatever fresh provisions we might have occasion for. A few minutes after we observed some muskets fired amongst a herd of buffaloes that were walking along the shore, and were informed that the Resident had ordered two of the fattest to be killed for the use of our vessels. Well acquainted with the wants of navigators, he had sent us a great quantity of fruit, several bottles of an agreeable liquor extracted from the palm-tree, and some of the young leaves of a species of fern of the genus