[Footnote 85:  The islands form part of what is now called New Hebrides.  We shall have occasion to speak of them when we treat of a subsequent voyage, it is needless to say a word about them at present.—­E.]

As soon as we were without the reef, we brought-to, and having hoisted in the boats, we stood off and on upon a wind all night; for I was not willing to run to leeward till I had a whole day before me.  In the morning, at daybreak, Lizard Island bore S. 15 E. distant ten leagues, and we then made sail and stood away N.N.W. 1/2 W. till nine o’clock, when we stood N.W. 1/2 N. having the advantage of a fresh gale at S.E.  At noon, our latitude, by observation, was I3 deg. 46’ S. and at this time we had no land in sight.  At six in the evening we shortened sail and brought the ship to, with her head to the N.E.; and at six in the morning made sail and steered west, in order to get within sight of the land, that I might be sure not to overshoot the passage, if a passage there was, between this land and New Guinea.  At noon, our latitude, by observation, was 13 deg. 2’ S., longitude 216 deg.  W.; which was 1 deg. 23’ W. of Lizard Island:  At this time we had no land in sight; but a little before one o’clock, we saw high land from the masthead, bearing W.S.W.  At two, we saw more land to the N.W. of that we had seen before:  It appeared in hills, like islands; but we judged it to be a continuation of the main land.  About three, we discovered breakers between the land and the ship, extending to the southward farther than we could see; but to the north we thought we saw them terminate abreast of us.  What we took for the end of them in this direction, however, soon appeared to be only an opening in the reef; for we presently saw them again, extending northward beyond the reach of our sight.  Upon this we hauled close upon a wind, which was now at E.S.E. and we had scarcely trimmed our sails before it came to E. by N. which was right upon the reef, and consequently made our clearing it doubtful.  At sun-set the northermost part of it that was in sight bore from us N. by E. and was two or three leagues distant; this however being the best tack to clear it, we kept standing to the northward with all the sail we could set till midnight; when, being afraid of standing too far in this direction, we tacked and stood to the southward, our run from sun-set to this time being six leagues N. and N. by E. When we had stood about two miles S.S.E. it fell calm.  We had sounded several times during the night, but had no bottom with one hundred and forty fathom, neither had we any ground now with the same length of line; yet, about four in the morning, we plainly heard the roaring of the surf, and at break of day saw it foaming to a vast height, at not more than a mile’s distance.  Our distress now returned upon us with double force; the waves, which rolled in upon the reef, carried us towards it very fast; we could reach no ground with an anchor, and