126 COOK’S VOYAGE. 
however, we faw another opening, near a mile to the weft- 
ward, which I immediately Cent the firft Lieutenant, Mr. 
Hicks, in the fmall boat to examine : in the mean time we 
flruggled hard with the flood, lemetimes gaining a little, and 
fometimes lofing ; bu' every man liill did his duty, with as 
much calmnefs and regularity as if no danger had been near. 
About two o’clock Mr. Hicks returned with an account that 
the opening was narrow and dangerous, but that it might be 
palled : the pofiibility of palling it was fufficient encourage- 
ment to make the attempt, for all danger was lefs imminent 
than that of our prelent lituation. A light breeze now fprung 
up at E. N. E. with which, by the help of our boats, and the 
very tide of flood that without an opening would have been 
our deftruftion, we .entered it, and were hurried through with 
amazing rapidity, by a torrent that kept us from driving 
againit either fide of the channel, which was not more than a 
quarter of a mile in breadth. While we were lhooting this 
gulph, our foundings were from thirty to feven fathom, very 
irregular, and the ground at bottom very foul. 
As foon as we had got within the reef we anchored in nine- 
teen fathom, over a bottom of coral and fnelis. And now, 
fu;h is the viciflitude of life, we thought ouneTves happy in 
having regained a lituation, which but two days before it was 
the utmoft objeft of our hope to quit. Rocks and Ihoals are 
always dangerous to the mariner, even where their fituation 
has been afeertained ; they are more dangerous in feas which 
have never before been navigated, and in this pai;t of the globe 
they are more dangerous than in any other ; for here they are 
reefs of coral rock, riflng like a wall almotf perpendicularly 
out of the unfathomable deep, always overflowed at high wa- 
ter, and at low water dry in many places ; and here the enor- 
mous waves of the vaft Southern Ocean, meeting with fo ab- 
rupt a reiiftance, break with inconceivable violence, in a lurf 
which no rooks or dorms in the northern hemifphere can pro- 
duce. The danger of navigating unknown parts of this 
ocean was now greatly increaied by our having a crazy Ihip, 
and being Ihort of proviflons and every other neceliary ; yet 
the dillinction of a firlt difeoverer made us cheerfully encounter 
every danger, and fubmit to every inconvenience ; and we 
chofe rather to incur the cenfure of imprudence and temerity, 
which the idle and voluptuous fo liberally bellow upon un- 
fuccefsful fortitude and perfeverance, that leave a country 
which we had difeovered unexplored, and give N colour to a 
charge of timidity and irreiolution. 
Having now congratulated ourfelves upon getting within 
the reef, notwithstanding we had fo lately congratulated oui- 
felves upon getting without it, I refolved to keep the main 
land on board in my future route to the northward, whareve, 
the 
