CAPTAIN COOK. WONDEKFUL ESCAPE. 487 



vessel sailed, under a fresh breeze and by clear moonlight, 

 through a sea the depth of which the plummet constantly 

 indicated at 20 to 21 fathoms, so that not the least danger was 

 apprehended. But suddenly the depth diminished to four 

 fathoms, and before the lead could be heaved again the vessel 

 struck and remained immoveable, except as far as she was 

 heaved up and down and dashed against the rocks by the surge. 

 The general anxiety may be imagined, and indeed the situation 

 was such as to warrant the most serious apprehensions. It 

 was found that the ship had been lifted over the ledge of a 

 rock and lay in a hollow, inside of the reef, where the water 

 in some places was three or four fathoms deep and in others 

 hardly as many feet. The sheathing boards were knocked off 

 and floating round the ship in great numbers, and at last the 

 false keel also was destroyed, while the constant grating of the 

 vessel against the rock seemed to announce its speedy disruption. 

 It was now necessary to lighten the vessel as much as possible, 

 and soon more than 50 tons' weight was thrown overboard. 



On the following morning land was seen at the distance of 

 eight miles; but no islet lay between, on which, in case the 

 vessel went to pieces, a speedy refuge might be found. To add 

 to their distress, the vessel drew so much water that three 

 pumps could hardly master it ; and, finally, it was found that 

 even the rising of the flood, on which they mainly reckoned, 

 was unavailing to extricate them from their perilous position. 

 All that could possibly be spared was now therefore cast into the 

 sea, still more to lighten the vessel, and thus the next tide was 

 patiently expected, when, after incredible exertion, the ship 

 righted, and they got her over the ledge of the rock into deep 

 water. 



But the men were by this time so much exhausted by their 

 uninterrupted labour that they could not stand to the pumps 

 more than five or six minutes at a time, after which they threw 

 themselves flat on the streaming deck, where they lay till others 

 exhausted like themselves took their places, on which they 

 started up again and renewed their exertions. In this desperate 

 situation one of the midshipmen, named Monkhouse, bethought 

 himself of a means by which a ship, having sprung a leak admit- 

 ting more than four feet of water in an hour, had yet been able 

 to perform the whole journey from Virginia to London. He 



