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commanders.
until the termination of the monsoon, unless I had chosen to cross the equinoctial line, and thus profiting by the contrary monsoon which blew to the northward of the equator, be enabled to return to Java; but the short stuck of provisions, and the wearied and sickly state of my crew, rendered it absolutely necessary that we should quickly find some sheltering port. I cast my eyes over the chart, and saw no place where we could expect to find refreshment nearer than Timor; and although I had no local knowledge of the state of that settlement, I concluded it, from the appearance of the chart, to be of some importance, and hoped that possibly before this time the British Government might have sent a garrison to take possession of it. I decided, therefore, to make the best of my way to that place, and ran down before the wind, running a great risk from the coral reefs, which extend to a considerable distance from Sandal Wood island, and which were not laid down in the chart. I found myself the next day in the open sea, between the above mentioned island and Timor. The weather was now occasionally clear, though still blowing with undiminished violence; but I was fortunately able to determine with tolerable precision, the latitude by double altitudes, which was of the utmost consequence, as my intention was, to enter the Straits which are formed by the two small islands lying to the westward of Timor. At eight o’clock in the evening, we were, by calculation, exactly in the latitude of the Straits, at the supposed distance of about fifty miles. I therefore ordered the ship to be hove-to for the night, and not to attempt a nearer approach until the next morning; but these orders were so unskilfully executed by the officer of the watch, that, a tremendous squall unluckily coming on at this time, the fore-yard was carried away, and to clear the wreck, it was absolutely necessary (at whatever hazard) to put before the wind, although at the imminent risk of approaching the lee shore during the night. I steered then due east for the Straits, and was obliged to remain running for a considerable time, until the wreck was cleared, when we were enabled to heave to. I knew that by this time we must be within twenty miles of the land, and my anxiety was extreme. I remained on deck all night, during which the weather was excessively bad, and the ship drifting fast to the eastward. The. day had not yet broken, when the alarm was given – ‘breakers on the lee bow;’ the vessel was instantly wore round, and scarcely had she gone on the other tack, when again – “land a head;" and the surf was seen breaking over the rocks with tremendous fury. I could now only hope that we were in the Straits; but our preservation depended on various circumstances, – upon the correctness of the latitude of the Straits, as marked down in the chart; on the precision of my observations the preceding day; and on the exactitude of our course during the night. It was a fearful moment, – if in the Straits I knew we were safe; but if a quarter of a mile to the northward or southward, nothing could possibly save us from destruction. The day was not yet clear; we wore round frequently
