East Coast, $ V. D. s Land.-} INTRODUCTION. ci 
The shore in this part is mostly high and cliffy ; and under the Bass and 
cliffs were lying black lumps, apparently of slaty stone, rounded by "796* ' 
attrition. These were not particularly noticed, but Mr. Clarke, in his 
disastrous journey along the coast, afterwards made fires of them ; 
and on a subsequent examination, Mr. Bass found a stratum of coal to* 
run through the whole of these cliffs. 
March 29. By rowing hard we got four leagues nearer home ; and 
at night dropped our stone under another range of cliffs, more re- 
gular but less high than those near Hat Hill. At ten o'clock, the 
wind, which had been unsettled and driving electric clouds in all 
directions, burst out in a gale at south, and obliged us to get up 
the anchor immediately, and run before it. In a few minutes the 
waves began to break ; and the extreme danger to which this ex- 
posed our little bark, was increased by the darkness of the night, 
and the uncertainty of finding any place of shelter. The shade of 
the cliffs over our heads, and the noise of the surfs breaking at their 
feet, were the directions by which our course was steered parallel 
to the coast. 
Mr. Bass kept the sheet of the sail in his hand, drawing in a few 
inches occasionally, when he saw a particularly heavy sea following. 
I was steering with an oar, and it required the utmost exertion and 
care to prevent broaching to ; a single wrong movement, or a 
moment's inattention, would have sent us to the bottom. The task 
of the boy was to bale out the water which, in spite of every care, 
the sea threw in upon us. 
After running near an hour in this critical manner, some high 
breakers were distinguished a-head ; and behind them there ap- 
peared no shade of cliffs. It was necessary to determine, on the 
instant, what was to be done, for our bark could not live ten minutes 
longer. On coming to what appeared to be the extremity of the 
breakers, the boat's head was brought to the wind in a favourable 
moment, the mast and sail taken down, and the oars got out. 
Pulling then towards the reef during the intervals of the heaviest 
seas, we found it to terminate in a point ; and in three minutes were 
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