SOUTH SEA 
k 294 
from the violence of the storm, which however did not 
continue long* 
Near sunset, the same evening, we saw a large reef 
extending across our intended course, and as the captain 
had made up his mind to run all night, it was a most 
providential occurrence for us that we came up with it 
before sunset, for half an hour later would inevita- 
bly have brought the ship upon it, as the nights at 
this time were extremely dark, and the reef was so low 
that the sea washed completely over it in every part ; so 
that we should have had very little chance of seeing it, 
and much blame could not have been attributed to any 
one, as it was not even marked on the charts. On find- 
ing ourselves in such a perilous situation, we soon 
hauled our wind, and remained all night with our head- 
yards aback waiting for the morning ; when the dangers 
we had escaped were rendered more manifest, and we 
found the reef of much greater extent than we had 
anticipated on the previous evening,— and we could also 
perceive some very high land at a distance in an easterly 
direction from us. This was the second escape of the 
kind we had experienced during the voyage, for we very 
nearly ran ashore on the coast of Chili, during a thick 
fog, and so near were we to the rocks at that time, that 
we should have been wrecked had the ship but once 
have “missed stays” when she was “put about” to 
avoid the danger. We now became exceedingly cau- 
tious, keeping an excellent “look-out” when we sailed 
during the night, which became the more necessary as 
we were now navigating in very dangerous seas. 
