. LOG OF MB. SIMPSON. 261 



tvas close to the beach all along-, and occasionally 

 fired a musket." 



Jackey appears confident that the men left have 

 been killed by the blacks. He said he had hopes 

 of finding Dunn, he being- a man that " knew 

 blackfellow well, and used to g-o along- black- 

 fellow." 



May Qth. — At daylig-ht sent the boat on shore, 

 manned as before, with instructions to land at the 

 place where I saw natives last night. At 6-30 

 A.M., weighed and set the topsails to a Hght breeze 

 from the southward, steered N. by E. |- E., hauhng 

 out a little from the land. At seven hearing- a 

 rumbling noise, looked over the vessel's side and 

 saw we were in shoal water, the vessel g-radually 

 losing her way, but still continued forging ahead a 

 ^ittle ; lowered the boat and sounded round, found 

 more water ahead, thirteen and fourteen feet ; in 

 shore, about half a cable's length found five and six 

 fathoms ; to seaward, eleven and eleven and a half 

 feet. Set the foresail : having a flowing tide the 

 vessel went ahead and deepened our water* after 

 going ahead about two or three ship's lengths 

 touched again slightly, and immediately after got 

 into five and six fathoms. The sea being smooth 

 at the time, and the after part of the keel being- the 

 only part of the vessel that touched, she cannot 

 have received any material damage. This shoal 

 appeared to be of small extent, composed of sand 

 and coral ; it is not laid down in the chart, but is 



