16 



porter's journal. 



forming with the Rocky Island, the E. side of the entrance 

 of the bay, is marked from its summit to the water's edge, 

 by a remarkable white streak, which, at a distance, bears 

 the appearance of a sheet of water, tumbhng from the 

 rocks. This mark can be seen from a great distance ; 

 and is a never-faihng guide to the harbour's mouth. Be- 

 tween each of the aforesaid small islands, and the main 

 island, are passages only for small boats ; and as they 

 seemed placed by nature, for the protection of the port, 

 Avhen considered either as affording shelter from the winds 

 and sea, or as suitable situations for batteries, I shall here- 

 after call them the Sentinels. 



On entering the bay I rounded the E. Sentinel, with- 

 in one and a half ship's length of the shore, and obtained 

 sounding in thirty-five fathoms water, sandy bottom. The 

 water was perfectly clear ; no danger was to be seen ; the 

 wind was blowing out of the harbour ; and I believed it 

 to be of sufficient width, to enable us to work up to the 

 bottom of the bay, which appeared to be about four miles 

 deep. I was soon, however, convinced that I was decei- 

 ved in my calculations ; for although there was sufficient 

 room, had the breeze been steady to have worked up, yet 

 it was impracticable to do so, from the flaws so frequently 

 changing their direction ; and at one moment blowing 

 fresh, while the next would prove a dead calm, and thus 

 render a ship perfectly unmanageable with her sails, I 

 therefore let go the anchor at the mouth, in thirty fa- 

 thoms water, to wait for a more favourable time for run- j 

 ning in, and directed my prizes to lay off and on the port / 

 until we could get the frigate secured. Shortly after an- [ 

 choring, we discovered a boat coming from the shore with ^ 

 three white men in her, one of whom was perfectly nakedy 

 wi4:h the exception of a cloth about his loins ; and as his 

 body was aril over tattooed, 1 could not doubt his having 

 been a long time on this, or some other island. I suppo- 

 sed them to be seamen, who had deserted from some ves- 

 sels here, and under this impression would neither permit 

 them to come along side of the ship, nor allow any person 

 to have any conversation with them. J was provoked to 

 find such characters, as I suspected them to be, in a place 

 where I had least expected to find any but the natives. I 

 apprehended much trouble from them : and, in a moment 



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