CAPTAIN COOK. WONDERFUL ESCAPE. 487 
vessel sailed, under a fresh breeze and by clear moonlight, 
through a sea the depth of which the plummet constantly 
indicated at 20 to 21 fathoms, so that not the least danger was 
apprehended. But suddenly the depth diminished to four 
fathoms, and before the lead could be heaved again the vessel 
struck and remained immoveable, except as far as she was 
heaved up and down and dashed against the rocks by the surge. 
The general anxiety may be imagined, and indeed the situation 
was such as to warrant the most serious apprehensions. It 
was found that the ship had been lifted over the ledge of a 
rock and lay in a hollow, inside of the reef, where the water 
in some places was three or four fathoms deep and in others 
hardly as many feet. The sheathing boards were knocked off 
and floating round the ship in great numbers, and at last the 
false keel also was destroyed, while the constant grating of the 
vessel against the rock seemed to announce its speedy disruption 
It was now necessary to lighten the vessel as much as possible, 
and soon more than 50 tons’ weight was thrown overboard. 
On the following morning land was seen at the distance of 
eight miles; but no islet lay between, on which, in case the 
vessel went to pieces, a speedy refuge might be found. ‘To add 
to their distress, the vessel drew so much water that three 
pumps could hardly master it; and, finally, it was found that 
even the rising of the flood, on which they mainly reckoned, 
was unavailing to extricate them from their perilous position. 
All that could possibly be spared was now therefore cast into the 
sea, still more to lighten the vessel, and thus the next tide was 
patiently expected, when, after incredible exertion, the ship 
righted, and they got her over the ledge of the rock into deep 
water. 
But the men were by this time so much exhausted by their 
uninterrupted labour that they could not stand to the pumps 
more than five or six minutes at a time, after which they threw 
themselves flat on the streaming deck, where they lay till others 
exhausted like themselves took their places, on which they 
started up again and renewed their exertions. In this desperate 
situation one of the midshipmen, named Monkhouse, bethought 
himself of a means by which a ship, having sprung a leak admit- 
ting more than four feet of water in an hour, had yet been able 
to perform the whole journey from Virginia to London. He 
