270 
A VOYAGE TO 
> 777 - 
May. 
-v- 
June. 
Sunday 1. 
and rocks, that lay round us. But, after making a trip to 
j the North, and Handing back again to the South, our lliip, 
by a fmall ffiift of the wind, fetched farther to the wind¬ 
ward than was expeCted. By this means file was very near 
running full upon a low fandy ifie, called Pootoo Pootooa, 
furrounded with breakers. It happened, very fortunately, 
that the people had juft been ordered upon the deck, to put 
the fhip about, and the molt of them were at their ftations; 
fo that the neceflary movements were not only executed 
with judgment, but alfo with alertnefs; and this alone faved 
us from deftruCtion. The Difcovery being aftern, was out 
of danger. Such hazardous fituations are the unavoid¬ 
able companions of the man, who goes upon a voyage of 
difcovery. 
This circumftance frightened our paffengers fo much, 
that they expreffed a ftrong deftre to get afhore. Accord¬ 
ingly, as foon as day-light returned, I hoifted out a boat, 
and ordered the Officer who commanded her, after land¬ 
ing them at Kotoo, to found along the reef that fpits off 
from that ifland, for anchorage. For I was full as much 
tired as they could be, with beating about amongft the 
furrounding ifles and fhoals, and determined to get to an 
anchor, fomewhere or other, if poffible. While the boat 
was abfent, we attempted to turn the fhips through the 
channel, between the fandy ifie and the reef of Kotoo, in 
expectation of finding a moderate depth of water behind 
them to anchor in. But, meeting with a tide or current 
againft us, we were obliged to defift, and anchor in fifty fa¬ 
thoms water, with the fandy ifie bearing Eaft by North, one 
mile diftant. 
We lay here till the 4th. While in this ftation we 
were, feveral times, vilited by the king, by Tooboueitoa, 
and 
