334 VOYAGE FROM CERAM [chap. xxxv. 



we got under the lee of this island, into quite smooth 

 water — for I had been very sick and uncomfortable, and 

 had eaten scarcely anything since the preceding morning. 

 We were slowly nearing the shore, which the smooth dark 

 water told us we could safely approach, and were congra- 

 tulating ourselves on soon being at anchor, with the pros- 

 pect of hot coffee, a good supper, and a sound sleep, when 

 the wind completely dropped, and we had to get out the 

 oars to row. We were not more than two hundred yards 

 from the shore, when I noticed that we seemed to get no 

 nearer although the men were rowing hard, but drifted to 

 the westward ; and the prau would not obey the helm, but 

 continually fell off, and gave us much trouble to bring her 

 up again. Soon a loud ripple of water told us we were 

 seized by one of those treacherous currents which so fre- 

 quently frustrate all the efforts of the voyager in these 

 seas ; the men threw down the oars in despair, and in a 

 few minutes we drifted to leeward of the island fairly out 

 to sea again, and lost our last chance of ever reaching 

 My sol ! Hoisting our jib, we lay to, and in the morning 

 found ourselves only a few miles from the island, but with 

 such a steady wind blowing from its direction as to render 

 it impossible for us to get back to it. 



We now made sail to the northward, hoping soon to get 

 a more southerly wind. Towards noon the sea was much 

 smoother, and with a S.S.E. wind we were laying in the 



