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nel which divides them, we encountered a strong breeze, and soon 

 afterwards found ourselves in a very critical situation ; a dark night, a 

 heavy and increasing gale of wind, the violent uncertain currents 

 of the river, the English bank to the south, and the Isle of Flores 

 to the west-north-west. The captain knew nothing of the navi- 

 gation, and I was obliged to command instead of advising, I 

 caused the vessel to be laid to, under the smallest and most 

 manageable sail possible ; kept the lead continually going and 

 wore the vessel every two hours. The night was one of the most 

 dreadful I ever witnessed ; the moon was over-cast by heavy black 

 clouds pouring torrents of rain, accompanied with terrible lightning 

 and loud thunder ; the waves, owing to the shallowness of the 

 water (seven and eight fathoms), appeared like breakers. At da}'^- 

 light our prospect was not much bettered ; a dense fog hindered us 

 from seeing at all beyond the vessel, and the conflict of the wind 

 with the current rendered the waves still more boisterous. In the 

 course of the morning the thunder moderated, but the stormy rain 

 continued ; no object was distinctly visible ; hidden rocks and 

 sand-banks lay on each side of us ; and we were approaching a 

 channel not a mile Avide, rendered more formidable by a strong 

 and ever-shifting current. In consequence of incessant exertion I 

 was in a most exhausted state, but the captain and crew were 

 incapable of affording me a moment's respite ; danger seemed to 

 have deprived them of their reason, and they looked on all that 

 passed with a fearful and senseless apathy. I had often had occa- 

 sion to observe the intrepid constancy and activity of British 

 seamen in similar emergencies, and I could not but be struck with 

 the contrast. We shipped several heavy seas which had the 

 appearance of broken-water, and hence it again became necessary 

 to keep the lead continually going. At eleven A. M., on finding 

 that we shoaled our water extremely fast, being already in four 

 fathom and over very hard ground, I was convinced that we were 

 at the head of the English bank, and therefore immediately' wore on 



