flow'd by the Sea, and if so great part of the Country must at that time been laid under Water. Up in the lakes, or lagoons, I suppose, are shell fish, on which the few Natives subsist. We found Oysters sticking to most of the Rocks upon the Shore, which were so small, as not to be worth the picking off.[1]
Thursday, 31st.—Winds Southerly and S.E.; Dark, Hazey weather, with rain. In the P.M., finding no one inducement to stay longer in this place, we at 6 a.m. Weighed and put to Sea, and stood to the N.W., having the Advantage of a fresh breeze at S.S.E. We keept without the Group of Islands which lay in Shore, and to the N.W. of Thirsty Sound, as there appear'd to be no safe passage between them and the Main; at the same time we had a number of Islands without us extending out to Sea as far as we could see; as we run in this direction our depth of Water was 10, 8 and 9 fathoms.[2] At Noon the N.W. point of Thirsty Sound, which I have named Pier head, bore S. 36° E., distant 5 Leagues; the E. point of the other inlet, which Communicates with the former, as I have before mentioned, bore S. by W., distance 24 Leagues, the Group of Islands above mentioned laying between us and the point. The farthest part of the Main in sight, on the other side of the inlet, bore N.W.; our Lat. by Observation was 21° 53′ S.
Friday, June 1st.—At ½ an hour After Noon, upon the Boat we had ahead sounding making the Signal for Shoal Water, we hauld our wind to the N.E., having at that time 7 fathoms; the Next cast 5, and then 3, upon which we let go an Anchor, and brought the Ship up. The N.W. point of Thirsty Sound, or Pier Head, bore S.E., distance 6 Leagues, being Midway between the Islands which lies off the E. point of the Western inlet and 3 Small Islands directly without them,[3] it being now the first of the flood which we found to set N.W. by W. ½ W. After having sounded about the Shoal, on which we found not quite 3 fathoms, but without it deep water, we got under Sail, and hauld round the 3 Islands just mentioned, and came to an Anchor under the Lee of them in 15 fathoms, having at this time dark, hazey, rainy weather, which continued until 7 o'Clock a.m., at which time we got again under sail, and stood to the N.W. with a fresh breeze at S.S.E. and fair weather, having the Main land in Sight and a Number of Islands all round us, some of which lay out at Sea as far as we could See. The Western Inlet before mentioned, known in the Chart by the Name of Broad Sound, we had now all open. It is at least 9 or
- ↑ Cook was very unfortunate in his landing here. The channel is at the end of a long headland between two bays, Shoalwater Bay and Broad Sound, and was a very unlikely place either to find water or get any true idea of the country.
- ↑ The ship passed between the Duke Islands and the maze of reefs and islands lying N.W. of Thirsty Sound.
- ↑ The shoal is now known as Lake Shoal. The three Islands are the Bedwell Islands.
