LOG OF MK. SIMPSON. 261 



was close to the beach all along-^ and occasionally 

 fired a musket/' 



Jackej appears confident that the men left have 

 been killed by the blacks. He said he had hopes 

 of finding- Dunn^ he being- a man that ^^ knew 

 blackfellow well^ and used to g'o along- black- 

 fellow." 



May Qth. — At daylight sent the boat on shore^ 

 manned as before^ ^A'ith instructions to land at the 

 place where I saw natives last nig'ht. At 6*30 

 A.M.^ weig-hed and set the topsails to a hg-ht breeze 

 from the southward, steered N. b}' E. ^ E., hauling* 

 out a little from the land. At seven hearino- a 

 rumbling- noise, looked over the vessel's side and 

 saw we were in shoal water, the vessel gradually 

 losing- her way, but still continued forg'ing- ahead a 

 ^ittle ; lowered the boat and sounded round, found 

 more water ahead, thirteen and fourteen feet ; in 

 shore, about half a cable's leng'th found five and six 

 fathoms ; to seaward, eleven and eleven and a half 

 feet. Set the foresail : having- a flowing- tide the 

 vessel vv'ent ahead and deepened our water j after 

 g'oing- ahead about two or three ship's lengtha 

 touched ag-ain slig-htly, and immediately after g-ot 

 into five and six fathoms. The sea beino- smooth 

 at the time, and the after part of the keel being- the 

 only part of the vessel that touched, she cannot 

 have received any material damag-e. This shoal 

 appeared to be of small extent, composed of sand 

 and coral; it is not laid down in the chart, but is 



