COASTS OF AUSTRALIA. 
85 
now against us, and, setting with great strength, i 82 i. 
drove us near the rocks that front the islands Aug. 19. 
to the northward of Island 40 ; the wind was, 
however, sufficiently strong to enable us to clear 
the dangerous situation we found ourselves in, 
but soon afterwards it fell to a light air, and we 
were carried by the tide rapidly towards the 
low rocky extremity of the islets, which we 
were nearly thrown upon, when a breeze sud- 
denly sprung up again from the S.E., and en- 
abled us to clear this impending danger. We 
were now drifting to the S.b.E. through a wide 
channel, sounding in between fifty and sixty 
fathoms, rocky bottom. Had the evening been 
less advanced and the wind favourable, we 
could have run through, and taken our chance 
of finding either anchorage or an open sea ; 
and although this would certainly have been 
hazarding a great risk, yet it was of very little 
consequence in what part of the archipelago we 
spent the night, as the spots which we might 
consider to be the most dangerous, might possibly 
be the least so. We had, however, no choice; 
we were perfectly at the mercy of the tide, and 
had only to await patiently its ebbing, to drift us 
out as it carried us in. 
By our calculations, high-water should have 
taken place at a quarter past four o’clock ; every 
