PELSART’s VOYAGE TO AUSTRALASIA.

43 °

becaufe they did not go in fearch of water in the iflands that were within fight of them,and they reprefented the neceflity of this to Captain Pelfart, who agreed to their requeft,but infilled before he went to communicate his defign to the reft of thepeople; theyconfented to this, but not till the captain had declared that, without the confent of thecompany on the large ifland, he would rather, than leave them, go and perilh on boardthe fhip. When they were got pretty near the fhore, he who commanded the boattold the captain, that if he had any thing to fay he muft cry out to the people, forthat they would not fuffer him to go out of the boat. The captain immediately attemptedto throw himfelf overboard, in order to fwim to the ifland. Thofe who were in theboat prevented him ; and all that he could obtain from them was, to throw on fhore histable-book, in which he wrote a line or two to inform them that he was gone in thefkiff to look for water in the adjacent iflands.

He accordingly coafted them all with the greateft care, and found in moft of themconfiderable quantities of water in the holes of the rocks, but fo mixed with the feawater, that it was unfit for ufe ; and therefore they were obliged to go farther. Thefirft thing they did was, to make a deck to their boat, becaufe they found it was im-practicable to navigate thofe feas in an open veflel. Some of the crew joined them bythat time the work was finifhed; and the captain having obtained a paper, figned byall his men, importing that it was their defire that he fhould go in fearch of water,he immediately put to fea, having firft taken an obfervation, by which he found theywere in the latitude of 28 degrees 13 minutes fouth. They had not been long at fea,before they had fight of the continent, which appeared to them to lie about fixteenmiles north by weft from the place they had fuffered fhipwreck. They found abouttwenty five or thirty fathoms water; and as night drew on, they kept out to fea;and after midnight ftood in for the land, that they might be near the coaft inthe morning. On the 9th of June, they found themfelves as they reckoned, aboutthree miles from the fhore ; on which they plied all that day, failing fometimes northfometimes weft, the country appearing low, naked, and the coaft exceflively rocky;fo that they thought it refembled the country near Dover. At laft they faw a littlecreek, into which they were willing to put, becaufe it appeared to have a fandybottom; but when they attempted to enter it, the fea ran fo high that they were forcedto defift.

On the 10th, they remained on the fame coaft, plying to and again, as they haddone the day before; but the weather growing worfe and worfe, they were obligedto abandon their fhallop, and even throw part of their bread overboard, becaufe ithindered them from clearing themfelves of the water, which their veflel began to makevery faft. That night it rained moft terribly, which, though it gave them muchtrouble, afforded them hopes that it would prove a great relief to the people they hadleft behind them on the iflands. The wind began to fink on the nth; and as itblew from the weft-fouth-weft. they continued their courfe to the north, the fea runningftill fo high, that it was impoflible to approach the fhore. On the 12th, they had anobfervation, by which they found themfelves in the latitude of 27 degrees; they failedwith a fouth-eaft wind all that day along the coaft, which they found fo fteep, thatthere was no getting on fhore, inafmuch as there was no creek or low land withoutthe rocks, as is commonly obferved on fea-coafts; which gave them the more pain,becaufe within land, the country appeared very fruitful and pleafant. They foundthemfelves on the 13th in the latitude of 25 degrees 40 minutes; by which theydifcovered that the current fet to the north. They were at this time over-againft