Accidents > Dangers of the deep, or, Narratives of shipwreck and adventure at sea

ADVENTURES IN THE BOATS. 135
Island, is the very bottom of the large hay
it lies in. Here was the only passage to be
found, which (if we could by any means have
got information of it) would have saved us
much fruitless labour. Of this passage I shall
have occasion to say more hereafter.
Having at this time an off-shore wind, we
kept the land close on board, till we came to a
head-land: it was near night before we got
abreast of the headland, and opening it, dis¬
covered a very large bay to the northward, and
another headland to the westward, at a great
distance. We endeavoured to cut short our
passage to it by crossing, which is very seldom
to be effected, in these overgrown seas, by
boats: and this we experienced now ; for the
wind springing up, and beginning to blow
fresh, we were obliged to put back towards the
first headland, into a small cove, just big
enough to shelter the two boats. Here an ac¬
cident happened that alarmed us much. After
securing our boats, we climbed up a rock
scarcely large enough to contain our numbers :
having nothing to eat, we betook ourselves to
our usual receipt for hunger, which was going
to sleep. We accordingly made a fire, and
stowed ourselves round it as well as we could ■,