3 6 COOK’s VOYAGE. 
miles ; and therefore hitherto none of the names which dif- 
iiinguifh the feveral parts of the country that we faw are me- 
morials of diftrefs ; but here we became acquainted with mis- 
fortune, and we therefore called the point which we had juft 
feen fartheft to the northward Cape Tribulation. 
This Cape lies in latitude 16 : 6 S. and longitude 214. : 39 
W. We fleered along the fliore N. by W. at the diftance of 
between three and four leagues, having from fourteen to twelve, 
and ten fathom water : in the offing we faw two iflands, which 
lie in latitude ,6 S. and about 6 or 7 leagues from the main. 
At fix in the evening, the northermoft land in fight bore N. by 
W. \ W. and 2 low woody iflands, which fome of us took to be 
rocks above water, bore N. ~ W. At this time we (hortened fail, 
and hauled offihoreE.N.E. andN.E. by E. cjofe upon a wind, 
for it was my delign to ftretch oft' all night, as well to avoid 
the danger we faw ahead, as to fed whether any iflands lay in 
the offing, efpecia}ly as we were now near the latitude affigned 
to the iflands which were difcovered by Quiros, and which 
fome geographers, for what reafon I know not, have thought 
fit to join to this land, We had the advantage of a fine breeze, 
and a dear moonlight night, and in ftanding oft from fix till 
near nine o’clock, we deepened our water from fourteen to 
twenty-one fathom, but while we were at fupper it fuddenly 
Shoaled, and we fell into twelve, ten, and eight fathom, with- 
in the fpace of a few minutes ; I immediately ordered every 
body to their ftation, and all was ready to put about, and corne 
to an anchor, but meeting at the next caft of the lead with 
deep water again, we concluded that we had gone over the tail 
of the ihoals, which we had feen at fun-fet, and that all dan- 
ger was paft : before ten we had twenty and one and twenty 
fathom, and this depth continuing, the gentlemen left the deck 
in great tranquility and went to bed ; but a few minutes be- 
fore eleven, the water fhallowed at once from twenty to feven- 
teen fathom, and before the lead could be caft again, the ihip 
ft ruck, and remained immoveable, except by the heaving of 
the furge, that beat her againft the craggs of the rock upon 
which ihe lay. In a few moments every body was upon deck, 
with countenances which fufficiently expreffed the horrors of 
our firuation. We had flood eft the fhore three hours and an 
half, with a pleafant breeze, and therefore knew that we could 
not be very near it, and we had too much reafon to conclude 
that we were upon a rock of coral, which is more fatal than 
any other, becaufe the points of it are fharp, and every part 
pf the furface fo rough as to grind away whatever is rubbed 
againft it, even with the genrleft motion. In this fituaticn all 
the fails were immediately taken in, and the boats hoifted out 
to examine the depth of water rou:.d the fhip : we foon dif- 
yoyeffd that our fears had not aggravated our misfortune, and 
