1/2 W., distant about two leagues. Four or five
leagues to the north of this head-land we saw three
islands, near which lay some that were still smaller,
and we could see the shoals and reefs without us,
extending to the northward, as far as these islands:
Between these reefs and the headland we directed our
course, leaving to the eastward a small island, which
lies N. by E., distant four miles from the three islands.
At noon, we were got between the headland and the
three islands: From the head-land we were distant
two leagues, and from the islands four; our latitude
by observation was 14 deg. 51’. We now
thought we saw a clear opening before us, and hoped
that we were once more out of danger; in this hope,
however, we soon found ourselves disappointed, and
for that reason I called the head-land Cape Flattery.
It lies in latitude 14 deg. 56’ S., longitude
214 deg. 43’ W., and is a lofty promontory,
making next the sea in two hills, which have a third
behind them, with low sandy ground on each side:
It may, however, be still better known by the three
islands out at sea: The northermost and largest
lies about five leagues from the cape, in the direction
of N.N.E. From Cape Flattery the land trends
away N.W. and N.W. by W. We steered along the shore
N.W. by W. till one o’clock, for what we thought
the open channel; when the potty officer at the mast-head
cried-out that he saw land a-head, extending quite
round to the islands that lay without us, and a large
reef between us and them: Upon this I ran up to
the mast-head myself, from whence I very plainly saw
the reef, which was now so far to windward, that we
could not weather it, but the land a-head, which he
had supposed to be the main, appeared to me to be only
a bluster of small islands. As soon as I got down
from the mast-head, the master and some others went
up, who all insisted that the land a-head was not
islands, but the main; and, to make their report still
more alarming, they said that they saw breakers all
round us. In this dilemma, we hauled upon a wind
in for the land, and made the signal for the boat
that was sounding a-head to come on board, but as she
was far to leeward, we were obliged to edge away to
take her up, and soon after we came to an anchor,
under a point of the main, in somewhat less than five
fathom, and at about the distance of a mile from the
shore. Cape Flattery now bore S.E. distant three
leagues and a half. As soon as the ship was at
anchor, I went ashore upon the point, which is high,
and afforded me a good view of the sea coast, trending
away N.W. by W. eight or ten leagues, which, the weather
not being very clear, was as far as I could see.
Nine or ten small low islands, and some shoals, appeared
off the coast; I saw also some large shoals between
the main and the three high islands, without which,
I was clearly of opinion there were more islands,
and not any part of the main. Except the point
I was now upon, which I called Point Lookout,