1770. ROUND THE WORLD. 187 



As soon as we had got within the reef we anchor- 

 ed in n in teen fathom, over a bottom of coral and 

 shells. And now, such is the vicissitude of life, we 

 thought ourselves happy in having regained a situa- 

 tion, which but two days before it was the utmost 

 object of our hope to quit. Rocks and shoals are 

 always dangerous to the mariner, even where their 

 situation has been ascertained ; they are more dan- 

 gerous in seas which have never before been navi- 

 gated, and in this part of the globe they are more 

 dangerous than in any other ; for here they are reefs 

 of coral rock, rising like a wall almost perpendicular- 

 ly out of the unfathomable deep, always overflowed 

 at highwater, and at low water dry in many places ; 

 and here the enormous waves of the vast Southern 

 Ocean meeting with so abrupt a resistance, break, 

 with inconceivable violence, in a surf which no rocks 

 or storms in the northern hemisphere can produce. 

 The danger of navigating unknown parts of this 

 ocean was now greatly increased by our having a 

 crazy ship, and being short of provisions and every 

 other necessary ; yet the distinction of a first dis- 

 coverer made us cheerfully encounter every danger, 

 and submit to every inconvenience ; and we chose 

 rather to incur the censure of imprudence and te- 

 merity, which the idle and voluptuous so liberally 

 bestow upon unsuccessful fortitude and perseverance, 

 than leave a country which we had discovered un- 

 explored, and give colour to a charge of timidity 

 and irresolution. 



Having now congratulated ourselves upon getting 

 within the reef, notwithstanding we had so lately 

 congratulated ourselves upon getting without it, I 

 resolved to keep the main land on board in my 

 future route to the northward, whatever the conse- 

 quence might be ; for if we had now gone without 

 the reef again, it might have carried us so far from 

 the coast as to prevent my being able to determine, 

 whether this country did, or did not join to New 



