128 cook's FIRST VOYAGE JUNE, 



night, and in standing off from six till near nine 

 o'clock, we deepened our water from fourteen to 

 twenty-one fathom ; but while we were at supper, it 

 suddenly shoaled, and we fell into twelve, ten, and 

 eight fathom, within the space of a few minutes ; I 

 immediately ordered every body to their station, and 

 all was ready to put about and come to an anchor, 

 but meeting at the next cast of the lead with deep 

 water again, we concluded that we had gone over 

 the tail of the shoals which we had seen at sun-set, 

 and that all danger was past : before ten, we had 

 twenty and one-and-twenty fathom, and this depth 

 continuing, the gentlemen left the deck in great 

 tranquillity, and went to bed ; but a few minutes 

 before eleven, the water shallowed at once from 

 twenty to seventeen fathom, and before the lead 

 could be cast again, the ship struck, and remained 

 immoveable, except by the heaving of the surge, 

 that beat her against the craggs of the rock upon 

 which she lay. In a few moments every body was 

 upon the deck, with countenances which sufficiently 

 expressed the horrors of our stiuation. We had 

 stood off the shore three hours and a half, with a 

 pleasant breeze, and therefore knew that we could 

 not be very near it, and we had too much reason to 

 conclude that we were upon a rock of coral, which 

 is more fatal than any other, because the points of 

 it are sharp, and every part of the surface so rough 

 as to grind away whatever is rubbed against it, even 

 with the gentlest motion. In this situation all 

 the sails were immediately taken in, and the boats 

 hoisted out to examine the depth of water round the 

 ship : we soon discovered that our fears had not 

 aggravated our misfortune, and that the vessel had 

 been lifted over a ledge of the rock, and lay in a 

 hollow within it : in some places there was from 

 three to four fathom, and in others not so many 

 feet. The ship lay with her head to the N. E. ; 

 and at the distance of about thirty yards on the star- 



