The channel was now five or six miles wide, and no interruption yet appeared; but breakers were seen a-head before two o’clock, and seemed to connect the reefs to leeward with those on the weather side; and there being a small opening on the starbord beam, we bore away north-west through it, towards the Investigator’s track.  Other reefs, however, obstructed the way, upon one of which was a dry bank; and seeing a sort of middle channel within them, we hauled up W. by S. into it, and afterwards S. W. The sea did not break upon these reefs, and the sun being on the starbord bow, prevented us from knowing how they lay to leeward.  At four, the coral bottom was seen under the schooner, and the depth was no more than 2 fathoms; we tacked immediately, and in ten minutes were able to weather the end of the reef at the outlet of the middle channel, where no obstruction appeared; but a bank, probably not of coral, was found to run across, and in passing over it we had 3, 11/2, 2, 3, 8 fathoms, and in five minutes 22 on a soft bottom.  A swell was then perceived coming from E. S. E., which showed that the weather reefs also there terminated; it even implied that the waves had no obstruction for many miles, probably as far as the great outer reef seen by the Pandora.

Half-way Island came in sight as soon as the middle channel was cleared, and we steered west, carrying all sail to reach it before dark.  In passing round the north end of its reef at sunset, we had 18 fathoms, and presently anchored in 20, with the centre of the island bearing S. by E. 1/2 E. one mile, and the reef from E. 1/2 S. to S. W. by S. Next morning at daylight [SUNDAY 23 OCTOBER 1803], Mr. Aken went on shore to bring off some shells of the large cockle (chama gigas), which the Indians place under the pandanus trees to catch water, and on his return at eight o’clock, we resumed our course to the south-westward, passing between some dry sands before seen in the Investigator.  I then kept up more southward to fetch the York Isles, and this took us between two other sands surrounded with small reefs.  There were many birds, and a pole was standing up on the northern bank; and the wind becoming very light, an anchor was dropped in 14 fathoms under the west side, and I went on shore.

This bank or key was very little above high water; but a young pandanus had been planted on the top and surrounded with a circle of stones, apparently to protect it from the turtle, whose tracks were fresh on the sand.  It appeared from thence, that the Indians come here at times; and this tree had been planted with a view, most probably, to obtain fresh water by the same means as at Half-way Island.  The latitude of the bank, according to Mr. Aken’s meridian observation, is 10 deg. 18’ south, longitude by the time keeper 143 deg. 6’ east, and there is a similar bank lying two or three miles to the southward.

On my return the south-east trade had freshened up, and we steered S. W. by compass, in soundings from 13 to 11 fathoms, soft ground.  Some of the small woody isles before laid down, were seen to the north-westward, but nothing else till four o’clock; the high flat-topped York Isle then came in sight, and at six the following bearings were set.