Arrival off Hope Islands. 5* 
reduced, that inftead of gaining upon three pumps, it w.;S 
ealily kept under with one. This was a new fource of confi- 
dence and comfort ; the people could fcarcely have exprelfed 
more joy if they had been already in port ; and their views 
were io far from being limited to running the Ihip alhore in 
fome harbour, either of an ifland or the main, and building a 
veil'd out of her materials, to carry us to the Earl-Indies, which 
had fo lately been ihe utmoft object of our h~pe, that nothing 
was now thought of but rang rig along the ihore, in fearch of 
a convenient place to repair the damage fhe had fuftained, 
and then prcfecuiing the voyage upon the Tame plan as if no- 
thing had happened. Upon this occafionl mud obierve, both 
in jullice and gratitude to the fhip's company, and the Gentle- 
men on board, that although in the midiTof our diftrefs eve- 
ry one feemed to have a juft fenfe of his danger, yet no paf- 
fionate exclamations, or frantic geftures, were to be heard or 
feen ; every one appeared to have the perfect poffelTion of hi« 
mind, and every one exerted himfelf to the uttermoft, with a 
quiet and patient perle reran ce, equally diilant from tumultu- 
ous violence of terror, and the gloomy inactivity of defpair. 
In the mean time, having light airs at E. S. E. we got 
up the main top-mad, and main-yard, and kept edging in 
for the land, till about fix o’clock in the evening, when we 
came to an anchor in feventeen fathom water, at the diltance 
of feven leagues from the fhore, and one from the ledge of 
rocks upon which we had frruck. 
This ledge or Ihoal lies in latitude 13 : 45 S. and berween 
fix and feven leagues from the main. It is not however the 
only Ihoal on this t art of the coaft, efpecially to the north- 
ward ; and at this time we faw one to the fouthward, the tail 
of which we palled over, when we had uneven foundings about 
two hours before we ftruck. A part of this fheal is always 
above water, and has the appearance of white fand : a part 
alfo of that upon which we had lain is dry at low water, and 
in that place confifts of fand Hones ; but all the relt of it is % 
coral rock. 
While we lay at anchor for the night, we found tSiat the 
fhip made about fifteen inches of water an hour, from which 
no immediate danger was to be apprehended ; and at fix 
o’ -lock in the morning, we weighed and flood to the N. W. 
flill edging in for the land with a gentle b.eeze at S. S. E. At 
nine we palled clofe without two fmall iilands that lie in la- 
titude 15 : 41 S. and about four leagues from the main: to 
reach thefe iilands had, in the height of our diftrefs, been the 
objedl of our hope, or perhaps rather of our wilhes, and there- 
fore I called them Hope Islands. At noon we were about 
three leagues from the land, and in Irtitude 15 : 37 S. ; the 
porthermoft part of the main in fight bore -N. 30 W. ; and 
Hope 
