HOMEWARD BOUND. 99 



On the morning of the 14th a cast was taken in 1976 

 fathoms, lat. 32° 58' S., long. 47° 22' VV. — dark mud ; and 

 at 4.30 P.M. we sounded over Nelson Shoal, ^' finding 2088 

 fathoms, lat. 32° :i^2>' S., long. 46° 48' W. — dark mud. 

 This certainly was no shoal, and yet from our experience 

 a few days later it is possible that one may exist some- 

 where in the neighborhood. After taking this cast, I 

 kept the fore-and-aft sails full on port tack, making 

 nearly an E. by N. course, steaming as before under two 

 boilers. 



On the 15th, just after daylight, we swung ship for 

 compass deviations, and then sounded in 2192 fathoms, 

 lat. 32° 24' S., long. 45° 32' W. — dark mud ; and again 

 in the afternoon in 2132 fathoms, lat. 32° 14' S., long. 

 44° 14' W. — brown mud. 



On the i6th sounded at 5 a.m. in 2145 fathoms, lat. 

 31° 57' S., long. 43° 16' W. ; brown mud. From this 

 point, the wind being about N.N.E., I changed course 

 and ran to the eastward in order to connect with the line 

 of soundings which the Enterprise made on her outward 

 voyage in 1883. A good cast was taken in the after- 

 noon in 2036 fathoms, lat. 31° 43' S., long. 41° 55' VV.; 

 light brown mud. 



On the 17th, after daylight, sounded in 1999 fathoms, 

 lat. 31° 40' S., long. 40° 28' VV.; brown mud. The wnnd 

 becoming more favorable, stopped steaming and put the 

 ship under sail, continuing the same course. At 7 p.m. 



* The shoal has had several positions given to it, but the latitude and 

 longitude of this cast represents about the average of the positions assigned. 



