148 cook's FIRST VOYAGE JULY, 



having some hope that, as the tides were rising, she 

 would float the next high water. We still continued 

 to fish with great success, and at high water we 

 again attempted to heave the ship off, but our utmost 

 efforts were still ineffectual. 



The next day at noon, the master returned, and 

 reported, that he had found a passage out to sea 

 between the shoals, and described its situation. The 

 shoals, he said, consisted of coral rocks, many of 

 which were dry at low water, and upon one of which 

 he had been ashore. He found here some cockles 

 of so enormous a size, that one of them was more 

 than two men could eat, and a great variety of other 

 shell-fish, of which he brought us a plentiful supply : 

 in the evening, he had also landed in a bay about 

 three leagues to the northward of our station, where 

 he disturbed some of the natives who were at sup- 

 per : they all fled with the greatest precipitation at 

 his approach, leaving some fresh sea eggs, and a fire 

 ready kindled behind them, but there was neither 

 house nor hovel near the place. We observed, that 

 although the shoals that lie just within sight of the 

 coast, abound with shell-fish, which may be easily 

 caught at low water ; yet we saw no such shells 

 about the fire places on shore. This day an alli- 

 gator was seen to swim about the ship for some 

 time, and at high water we made another effort to 

 float her, which happily succeeded : we found how- 

 ever that by lying so long with her head a-ground, 

 and her stern a-float, she had sprung a plank between 

 decks, a-breast of the main chains, so that it was be- 

 come necessary to lay her ashore again. 



The next morning was employed in trimming her 

 upon an even keel, and in the afternoon, having 

 warped her over, and waited for high water, we laid 

 her ashore on the sand bank on the south side of 

 the river, for the damage she had received already 

 from the great descent of the ground, made me 

 afraid to lay her broadside to the shore in the same 



