ELEPHANT POINT. 
shore, keeping it at about four miles distant, and afterwards 
passed close to the Bazaruto Islands, which are apparently con- 
nected by reefs of rocks to each other and to the coast. At night 
we stood otF to sea. 
On the 18th of August, standing in shore, we came into good 
soundings of twenty, fifteen, and twelve fathoms on the Sofala 
bank, and while searching for the harbour we discovered a 
long reef of rocks, over which the sea was breaking, which we 
supposed to be the one laid down in the charts a little to the 
southward of Inancata. We bore away to round this, for which 
the soundings proved an excellent guide, and soon after, seeing a 
point, which we supposed to be the northern end of Inancata 
Island, we came to an anchor in ten fathoms. 
On the 19th, Mr. Green the first Lieutenant and myself set 
out at day light to look for the harbour and town of Sofala. 
After leaving the vessel we sailed straight for the point which we 
conceived to be Inancata, having regular soundings decreasing 
as we advanced. On approaching the point we found breakers 
extending a considerable way from it, which we rounded in one 
and a half fathom, when the water became deeper, and a second 
point opened beyond, to which we directed our course. On 
reaching it the sea was perfectly smooth to the beach, and we 
determined, in consequence, to land. A great number of curlews 
and other birds were feeding by the water's edge, but they were 
so wild that they flew away long before we were within gvn- 
shot. 
The point on which we landed was covered with brushwood and 
, small trees, consisting chiefly of such species as grow in salt water. 
