78 CAPTAIN TUCKEY’S NARRATIVE. 
to take off 320 slaves; her burthen being 180 Spanish 
tons. 
The sea breeze setting in fresh at 2 P.M. on the Oth, and 
finding the ship under all sail go ahead of her anchor, we 
weighed, but, though the current was running scarcely three 
miles an hour, she at first barely stemmed it, and soon went 
astern; deepening the water so rapidly, that finding we should 
be out of soundings before we could bring up, | had no al- 
ternative but to run out again and try to anchor under Shark 
Point; but so little effect had the sails, even when going 
with the current, that she drifted bodily on the Moena 
Moesa bank, on which I was just about to let go the anchor 
in 7 fathoms, when the sea breeze becoming suddenly and 
providentially very strong, we got her to stay, and again 
just fetched Shark Point, where the wind again failed, and 
we were driven round by the current, and again obliged to 
stand out. The wind however once more freshening at sun- 
set, after making a short tack off, we stretched in, and were 
fortunate enough at 7 o’clock to get to an anchor under 
Shark Point in 42 fathoms; an attempt, which I should 
have considered highly imprudent had I not examined the 
bank, and taken accurate marks; nor indeed had [any other 
alternative but that of finding myself off Cabenda in the 
morning had I kept to sea. 
