SL'ltVEYING SWAIN'S REEFS. 



15 



mile and a half farther astern and nearer the reefs. 

 It appeared her cable bad parted during the night, 

 but luckily another anchor brought her up before 

 she reached the breakers, and by this she held on. 

 This morning the topmasts were struck, and every- 

 thing got on deck out of the rigging that was not 

 down before. This, however, was the last of it, for 

 in the evening it moderated, and both wind and sea 

 gradually went down. 



Feb. 2. — A lovely morning, with a light breeze 

 from the east, and smooth water. Quickly getting 

 up our masts, we weighed anchor, and stood to the 

 south, quitting our anxious and dangerous anchor- 

 age, greatly to the satisfaction of all hands. 



Feb. 3. — We parted company with the Bramble, 

 as she was to trace the inside or lee boundary of 

 these reefs, while we ran along their weather or 

 eastern boundary, our rendezvous being Port Bowen, 

 on the main land. 



Feb. 4, 5, 6. — Running along and delineating 

 the eastern edge of this large body of reefs, some- 

 times standing out into the offing to sound, and 

 taking care on the approach of night to run into 

 some of the openings, and anchor in a sheltered 

 position among them. These reefs consist of a com- 

 pact body of coral masses, intersected by narrow 

 channels of deep water ; each mass varies in extent 

 from one to several miles, some of them being 

 almost dry at low water, others having lagoons or 

 hollows of greater or less depth, A very common 



