198 SINGULAR CURRENTS. 



before a sudden squall urged the ship ahead, oblig- 

 ing the boats hastily to cast off, and in doing this 

 the dingy was capsized. No harm, however, oc- 

 curred, except the loss of an oar or two; but just 

 as the last man was picked up out of the water, a 

 large shark rose alongside the boats. Having hove 

 to and secured our boats again, we were now ena- 

 bled to stand over from the Sumbawa shore to that 

 of Lombock, and at seven o'clock shortened sail 

 and came to an anchor in seven fathoms, about a 

 mile from the shore, and nearly two south of a place 

 called in the charts Segar. Here we found the tide 

 setting to the southward at the rate of about a mile 

 per hour, whereas on the eastern side of the strait, 

 and over the whole of the strait of Lombock, a 

 constant current set to the northward at the rate of 

 four or five miles per hour. 



Jan. 17. — This morning it was fine and calm. 

 Captain Blackwood wishing to land to get sights 

 for the chronometers, I accompanied him and Mr. 

 Walsh in the first gig. Nearly opposite to the ship 

 was a low, rocky, but green hill rising out of the 

 woods, with some kind of building on its summit. 

 We attempted to land on the beach a little north of 

 this, notwithstanding the surf, but just as we touched 

 the shore a higher wave than usual rolled in and 

 half filled the boat, and nearly swamped and carried 

 her off. Mr. Walsh with the chronometer, and I 

 with my gun, got ashore without our respective 

 burdens getting wet j and Freathy, the coxswain, 



