The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. II. Being the Second of the First VoyageCook, James
History
The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. II. Being the Second of the First Voyage
Cook, James
Cook, James, 1728-1779 -- Travel; Explorers -- Great Britain -- Biography; Voyages around the world -- History -- 18th century
has been published, he never saw; for that places his discoveries no
less than two-and-twenty degrees to the eastward of it.
As soon as we were without the reef, we brought to, and having hoisted
in the boats, we stood off and on upon a wind all night; for I was not
willing to run to leeward till I had a whole day before me. In the
morning, at daybreak, Lizard Island bore S. 15 E., distant ten leagues;
and we then made sail, and stood away N. N. W. ½ W. till nine o’clock,
when we stood N. W. ½ N., having the advantage of a fresh gale at S. E.
At noon, our latitude by observation was 13° 46ʹ S., and at this time we
had no land in sight. At six in the evening we shortened sail, and
brought the ship to, with her head to the N. E.; and at six in the
morning made sail, and steered west, in order to get within sight of the
land, that I might be sure not to overshoot the passage, if a passage
there was, between this land and New Guinea. At noon, our latitude by
observation was 13° 2ʹ S., longitude 216° W.; which was 1° 23ʹ W. of
Lizard Island: at this time we had no land in sight; but a little before
one o’clock we saw high land from the mast-head, bearing W. S. W. At
two, we saw more land to the N. W. of that we had seen before: it
appeared in hills, like islands; but we judged it to be a continuation
of the main land. About three, we discovered breakers between the land
and the ship, extending to the southward farther than we could see; but
to the north we thought we saw them terminate abreast of us. What we
took for the end of them in this direction, however, soon appeared to be
only an opening in the reef; for we presently saw them again, extending
northward beyond the reach of our sight. Upon this we hauled close upon
a wind, which was now at E. S. E., and we had scarcely trimmed our sails
before it came to E. by N., which was right upon the reef, and
consequently made our clearing it doubtful. At sunset the northernmost
part of it that was in sight bore from us N. by E., and was two or three
leagues distant; this however being the best tack to clear it, we kept
standing to the northward with all the sail we could set till midnight;
when, being afraid of standing too far in this direction, we tacked and
stood to the southward, our run from sunset to this time being six
leagues N. and N. by E. When we had stood about two miles S. S. E. it
fell calm; we had sounded several times during the night, but had no
bottom with one hundred and forty fathom, neither had we any ground now
with the same length of line; yet, about four in the morning, we plainly
heard the roaring of the surf, and at break of day saw it foaming to a
vast height, at not more than a mile’s distance. Our distress now
returned upon us with double force; the waves, which rolled in upon the
reef, carried us towards it very fast; we could reach no ground with an
anchor, and had not a breath of wind for the sail. In this dreadful
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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