SURF ON EDGE OF REEF. 121 



Weeks, the boatswain, with their assistants, imme- 

 diately commenced operations for cutting through 

 the decks, in order to get out the two five tun tanks, 

 which, from their size, could not be got up the 

 hatchways. Mr. M'Gillivray and I found our pur- 

 pose of exploring and collecting on the reef frustrated 

 by the depth of water. The reef was about a quarter 

 of a mile wide, and ran nearly due N. and S. for 

 several miles. It appeared indeed to stretch to the 

 horizon in both directions, the breaks in its con- 

 tinuity being so narrow as to be barely perceptible. 

 A fresh breeze was blowing from the S.E., and 

 rather a heavy sea running outside. The water was 

 perfectly clear, and of great and almost unfathom- 

 able depth right up to the outer slope or submarine 

 wall of the reef. The long ocean swell being sud- 

 denly impeded by this barrier, lifted itself in one 

 great continuous ridge of deep blue water, which, 

 curling over, fell on the edge of the reef in an un- 

 broken cataract of dazzling white foam. Each line 

 of breaker was often one or two miles in length, 

 with not a perceptible gap in its continuity. After 

 recovering from this leap, and spreading for some 

 distance in a broad sheet of foam, the wave gra- 

 dually swelled again into another furious breaker of 

 almost equal height and extent w T ith the first, and 

 then into a third, which, although much less con- 

 siderable, yet thundered against the bows of the 

 wreck with a strength that often made her every 

 timber quiver. Even then the force of the swell 



