6F LA PEROUSE. 21$ 



ranee had juft put about, and we faw her now 

 /tending off with her head to the weft ward. 



All hands were immediately called upon deck, 

 in order to work the fhip fo as to make her furer 

 in frays. RofTel endeavoured four times in vain 

 to tack, and each attempt ferved only to bring us 

 nearer to the reef. We faw the ihip drifting on 

 the rocks, where the tea, ready to fwallow us 

 up, rofe to a prodigious height. There was not 

 a poflibility of letting go the anchor, for we 

 could get no bottom with a line of fifty fathoms, 

 although we were quite dole to the reef. Al- 

 ready each of us was catling his eye on the ob- 

 jects of which he might feize hold in order to 

 efcape from an almolt inevitable death ; in fhort, 

 deftruetion flared us in the face, when by an 

 unexpected piece of good fortune, a fifth attempt 

 to tack iucceeded, and it was with inexpreffible 

 joy that we faw our fhip Handing away from 

 this dangerous coaft, 



A few iflots appeared between the land and 

 the chain of reefs, which at moil was not more 

 than a myriameter diilant from the more. 



The lands of New Caledonia becoming lower 

 towards its fouthern extremity, already began to 

 exhibit fome mountains of middling elevation, 

 which, ftretching at firft from the fouth-eaft to 

 the north- well, afterwards turned a little towards 

 the north. 



p 4 When 



