Sail without Pilot. — Pass outside the Rhio Islands. 175 



troplio. And in fact it afterwards appeared that his having 

 missed us was entirely due to his own inattention. 



We at first had intended to pass through the narrow strait 

 of Rliio,* by which the route is materially shortened, but as 

 the squally weather had fairly set in, while the breeze had 

 crept round to the S.E., and the tide set strong to the north- 

 wards, we abandoned this plan, and decided on sailing 

 through the channel between Horsburgh light-house and 

 Bintang, so as to pass to the eastward of this island as far as 

 Gaspar Straits, which however we only reached the following 

 day, owing to light fitful breezes irom the northwards. So 

 soon as we entered Gaspar Straits we found the sea, which 

 is here of no great depth, never exceeding 25 fathoms, partly 

 covered with trunks of trees and seaweed, while the water 

 had lost its transparency and was of a dirty green colour. 



At 10 A. M. of the 25th April, we crossed the equator for 

 the third time, and the same day about 11 p. m. were in 

 sight of the rocky island of Tothy, a rain squall Jfrom the 

 N.E. blowing at the time. We passed between this island 

 and the dangerous because invisible Vega Rock, just 

 below the surface of the sea, and found ourselves in an 

 archipelago of islands and shoals requii-ing the utmost vigil- 

 ance in navigating ships of large size. But the moon, " the 

 seaman's friend," shone brightly at night, and the well- 

 known transparency of the air in tropical countries enabled us 



* The Rhio group of islands is about 50 miles S.E. of Singapore, the most im- 

 portant of which is Bintang, with a town of the same name. 



