372 VOYAGE FROM WAIGIOU [chap, xxxvii. 



sovmded often when in the midst of them, but found no 

 ground, neither could we perceive that they drove us any 

 way. We had in one night several of these tides, that 

 came mostly from the west, and the wind being from that 

 quarter we commonly heard them a long time before they 

 came, and sometimes lowered our topsails, thinking it was 

 a gust of wind. They were of great length, from north to 

 south, but their breadth not exceeding 200 yards, and they 

 drove a great pace. For though we had little wind to 

 move us, yet these would soon pass away, and leave the 

 water very smooth, and just before we encountered them 

 we met a great swell, but it did not break." Some time 

 afterwards, I learnt that an earthquake had been felt on 

 the coast of Gilolo the very day we had encountered 

 these curious waves. 



Wlien daylight came, we saw the land of Gilolo a few 

 miles off, but the point was unfortunately a little to wind- 

 ward of us. We tried to brace up all we could to round 

 it, but as we approached the shore we got into a strong 

 current setting northward, which carried us so rapidly with 

 it that we found it necessary to stand off again, in order to 

 get out of its influence. Sometimes we approached the 

 point a little, and our hopes revived ; then the wind fell, 

 and we drifted slowly away. Night found us in nearly the 

 same position as we had occupied in the morning, so we 

 hung down our anchor with about fifteen fathoms of cable 



