FIRST VOYAGE 75 



was to procure water, which not being easily to be got, they 

 soon returned on board, and the next day arrived near 

 Trinity Bay, so called, because it was discovered on Trinity 

 Sunday. As no accident of any moment had befallen our 

 adventurers, during a navigation of more than 1300 miles, 

 upon a coast everywhere abounding with the most danger- 

 ous rocks and shoals, no name expressive of distress had 

 hitherto been given to any cape or point of land which they 

 had seen. But they now gave the name of Cape Tribulation 

 to a point which they had just discovered, as they here 

 became acquainted with misfortune.* This cape is in 16 

 6' south latitude, and 214 39' west longitude. 



To avoid the danger of some rocks, they shortened sail, 

 and kept standing off from six o'clock in the evening till 

 near nine, with a fine breeze, and bright moon. They had 

 got from fourteen into twenty-one fathoms water, when 

 suddenly they fell into twelve, ten, and eight fathoms, in a 

 few minutes. Every man was instantly ordered to his 

 station, and they were on the point of anchoring, when, on a 

 sudden, they had again deep water, so that they thought all 

 danger was at an end, concluding they had sailed over the 

 tail of some shoals which they had seen in the evening. In 

 less than an hour, however, the water shallowed at once from 

 twenty to seventeen fathoms ; and, before soundings could 

 be again taken, the ship struck against a rock, and remained 

 fixed but from the motion given her from the beating of the 

 surge. Every one was instantly on deck, with countenances 

 fully expressive of the agitation of their minds. 'As they 

 knew they were not near the shore, they concluded they 

 had struck against a rock of coral, the points of which being 

 sharp, and the surface so rough, as to grind away whatever 

 is rubbed against it, though with a gentle motion, they had 

 reason to dread the horror of their situation. 



The sails being taken In, and boats hoisted out to examine 

 the depth of water, they found that the ship had been 

 carried over a ledge of the rock, and lay in a hollow within it. 

 She beat so violently that the crew could scarcely keep on 

 their legs. The moon now shone bright, by the light of 

 which they could see the sheathing boards float from the 

 bottom of the vessel, till at length the false keel followed, so 

 that they expected instant destruction. Their best chance 

 of escaping seemed now to be by lightening her. They there- 

 fore instantly started the water in the hold, and pumped 



* " The shore between Cape Graf ton and the northern point of 

 land in sight forms a large but not very deep bay, which I named 

 Trinity Bay, after the day on which it was discovered ; the north 

 point, Cape Tribulation, because here began all our troubles." 

 Extract, Captain Cook's Journal, Records, Admiralty, Whitehall, 

 p. 262. 



