184 cook's first voyage august? 



peared 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 ter- 

 minate 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 7 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 w r as 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 north- 

 ward with all the sail we could set till midnight ; 

 when, being afraid of standing too far in this direc- 

 tion, 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 morn- 

 ing, 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 re- 

 turned 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 dread- 

 ful situation, no resource was left us but the boats ;. 

 and to aggravate our misfortune the pinnace was un- 

 der repair : the long-boat and yawl, however, were 

 put into the water, and sent a-head to tow, which, by 

 the help of our sweeps abaft, got the ship's head 

 round to the northward ; which, if it could not pre^ 



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