Nevertheless, I Am Of Opinion That, Nearer, There
Is Much Less Depth, And Secure Riding; And In The Neighbourhood Is Plenty
Of Fresh Water And Wood For Fuel.
The whole isle, from the sea-shore to the
summits of the hills, seemed to be covered with the latter; and every
valley produced a fine stream of the former.[2] We saw people on the shore,
and some canoes on the coast, but none came off to us.
Leaving the bay just
mentioned, we stretched across the channel which divides Aurora from
Whitsuntide Island. At noon we were abreast the north end of this latter,
which bore E.N.E., and observed in 15 deg. 28' 1/2. The isle of Aurora bore
from N. to N.E. 1/2 east, and the Isle of Lepers from N. by W. 1/2 W. to
west. Whitsuntide Isle appeared joined to the land to the S. and S.W. of
it; but in stretching to S.W. we discovered the separation. This was about
four o'clock p.m., and then we tacked and stretched in for the island till
near sun-set, when the wind veering more to the east, made it necessary to
resume our course to the south. We saw people on the shore, smokes in many
parts of the island, and several places which seemed to be cultivated.
About midnight, drawing near the south land, we tacked and stretched to the
north, in order to spend the remainder of the night.
At day-break on the 21st, we found ourselves before the channel that
divides Whitsuntide Island from the south land, which is about two leagues
over. At this time, the land to the southward extended from S. by E. round
to the west, farther than the eye could reach, and on the part nearest to
us, which is of considerable height, we observed two very large columns of
smoke, which, I judged, ascended from volcanoes. We now stood S.S.W., with
a fine breeze at S.E.; and, at ten o'clock, discovered this part of the
land to be an island, which is called by the natives Ambrym. Soon after an
elevated land appeared open off the south end of Ambrym; and after that,
another still higher, on which is a high peaked hill. We judged these lands
to belong to two separate islands. The first came in sight at S.E.; the
second at E. by S., and they appeared to be ten leagues distant. Holding on
our course for the land ahead, at noon it was five miles distant from us,
extending from S.S.E. to N.W. by W., and appeared to be continued. The
islands to the east bore from N.E. by E. to S.E. by E., latitude observed
16 deg. 17' south. As we drew nearer the shore we discovered a creek, which had
the appearance of being a good harbour, formed by a low point or peninsula,
projecting out to the north.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 340 of 461
Words from 176512 to 177015
of 239428
