AUSTRALIA 83 



constant anxiety lest the ship should strike the 

 rocks, when a terrible incident proved to the 

 travellers how illusory was the safety which they 

 thought to have attained. During the night of 

 August i5th-i6th, about four in the morning, 

 they heard clearly the sound of breakers, and at 

 dawn they saw a mile away surf rising to a great 

 height. There was too much depth of water to 

 anchor, and not a breath of wind to work the 

 ship. The sea carried the vessel irresistibly to- 

 wards the breakers. The boats were the only 

 resource. Unfortunately the pinnace was under 

 repair. Cook lowered the two boats and sent 

 them ahead to tow the vessel until she was able, 

 after six hours, to weather the northern extrem- 

 ity. One wave's length alone separated the ship 

 from disaster, for the current had carried the 

 Endeavour to within a hundred yards of the 

 rocks. All at once, as though miraculously, a 

 light breeze sprang up, enough to allow the ship 

 to lay off a little and increase her distance from 

 the rocks. But the breeze died, and once more 

 the Endeavour was swept towards the reef. At 

 last the breeze freshened again, and lasted for 

 ten minutes, during which Cook discovered an 

 opening in the rocks. He sent one of the mates 

 to examine it, who came back and reported that 

 the channel was no wider than the length of the 

 vessel, but that the sea was smooth. This chan- 



