OF LA PEROUSE. 297 



This was King William's Cape. We then faw 

 riling the weft coafl of New Britain, towards 

 which we ftccred with all fail fct, in order to 

 get to tiie northward of Dampier's Strait be- 

 fore nig!u. The fun fliining direcflly in our 

 face, the men on the look-out could not perceive 

 in time a flioai, over which we pafTed about 

 eight o'clock in the morning, experiencing on 

 it fome very heavy feas. Having cleared it, wc 

 imagined ourfelves out of all danger, when 

 three quarters of an hour after we found our- 

 felves between two flioals very clofe together, 

 forming ahead of us a bight, whence it was 

 impoflible to get out with the fouth fouth-eafi: 

 wind which entantrled us amonp- them more 

 and more. The Admiral immediately gave or- 

 ders for tacking; but there was not time fuf- 

 ficicnt to trim the fails in fuch a manner as to 

 make the fliip flay ; flie then was drifting to- 

 wards the flioals which lay to the northward, 

 and on which we expe-fted to fee her prefently 

 ftrike, when Citizen Gicquel called out from 

 the main rigging, that he had juft difcovered 

 between thefe rocks a break very narrovv" in- 

 deed, but through which, however, our fiiip 

 might pafs. We immediately fleered for this 

 channel, and wc at length got clear of the dan- 

 ger, which was one cf the moil alarnung that 

 wc had incurred m this voyage. However, we 



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