As soon as there was sufficient light for me to distinguish the coastline I found that it was somewhat losing its monotonous character by breaking into more detached hills; and about ten A.M., we reached the northern extremity of Gantheaume Bay.

TO GANTHEAUME BAY.

The men being now completely worn out by want of rest, incessant exertion, and the mental anxiety they had undergone in the last fifty-six hours, during the whole of which time they had been in actual danger, I determined to attempt a landing in Gantheaume Bay, and therefore pulled along shore with the intention of finding a spot where we could easily land and yet be near a place likely to afford us water; for notwithstanding the economy we had practised none now was left.  I soon came to an opening in the bay which I thought would suit our purpose, but Ruston, on whose opinion in such matters I placed great reliance, reported it to be utterly impracticable; we still therefore pulled along the shore, and found it lashed throughout its whole extent by a fearful surf.  The south end of the bay, although protected by a reef, had just as heavy a surf breaking on it as any other part of the shore and was also very rocky, we therefore turned back to a sandy beach which we had passed in pulling round the bay and, having carefully examined this, it appeared in every way suited to our purpose, so we committed ourselves to the mercy of the breakers and in we went.  As I stood at the steer-oar I saw that this was a heavier surf than we had ever yet been in.  We were swept along at a terrific rate, and yet it appeared as if each following wave must engulf us, so lofty were they, and so rapidly did they pour on.

WRECK OF ONE OF THE BOATS.

At length we reached the point where the waves broke; the breaker that we were on curled up in the air, lifting the boat with it, and when we had gained the summit I looked down from a great height, not upon water, but upon a bare, sharp, black rock.  For one second the boat hung upon the top of the wave; in the next I felt the sensation of falling rapidly, then a tremendous shock and crash which jerked me away amongst rocks and breakers, and for the few following seconds I heard nothing but the din of waves whilst I was rolling about amongst men, and a torn boat, oars, and water-kegs, in such a manner that I could not collect my senses.

END OF VOLUME 1.