122 
COOK’S VOYAGE. 
ten to fourteen fathom', and between them and the main feven : 
but that a flat, which ran two leagues out from the main, made 
this channel narrow. Upon one of thefe low iflands he flepr, 
and was alhore u^on others ; and he reported, that he faw 
every where piles of turtle-lhells, and fins hanging upon the 
trees in many places, with the flelh upon them, fo recent, that 
tire boat’s crew eat of them : he faw alfo two fpots, clear of 
grafs, which appeared to have been lately dug up, and from 
the fhape and fize of them he conjeftured they were graves. 
After confidering what I had feen myfelf, and the report of 
the Mafter, I was of opinion that the pafiage to leeward would 
be dangerous, and that, by keeping in with the main, we 
fnould run the rifk of being locked in by the great reef, and 
at lalt be compelled to return back in learch of another paf- 
fage, by which, or any other accident that fhould caufe the 
fame delay, we fhould infallible lofe our paflage to the Eaft- 
Indies, and endanger the ruin of the voyage, as we had now 
but little more than three months proviiions on board at fhort 
allowance. 
Having Hated this opinion, and the fafts and appearances 
upon which it was founded, to the officers, it was unanimoufly 
agreed, that the beft thing we could do would be to quit the 
coaft altogether, till we could approach it with lefs danger. 
In the morning therefore, at break of day, we got under 
fail, and flood out N. E. for the north weft end of Lizard 
Hand, leaving Eagle Hand to windward, and fome other 
iflands and fhoals to the leeward, and having the pinnace 
ahead to afcertain the depth of water in every part of onr 
courfe. In this channel we had from nine to fourteen fathom. 
At noon, the north weft end of Lizard Hand bore E. S. E. 
diftant one mile ; our latitude by observation was 14° 38', and 
our depth of water fourteen fathom. We had a Heady gale at 
S. E. and by two o'clock we juft fetched to windward of one 
of the channels or openings in the outer reef, which I had feen 
from the Hand. We now tacked, and made a fhort trip to 
the S. W. while the mafter in the pinnace examined the chan- 
nel : he focn made the fignal for the fhip to follow, and in a 
fhort time fhe got fafa out. As foon as we had got without the 
breakers, we had no ground with one hundred and fifty fathom, 
and found a large fea rolling in from the S. E. a certain fign 
that neither land nor fhoals were near us in that dire&ion. 
Our change of fituation was now vifible in every counte- 
nance, for it was moft fenfibly felt in every breaft : we had 
been little lefs than three months entangled among fhoals and 
rocks, that every moment threatened us with deftruction ; 
frequently paffing our nights at anchor within hearing of the 
fur«-e that broke over them ; fometimes driving towards them 
flyen while our anchors were out, and knowing that if by any 
accident, 
