Series 03: Joseph Banks - Endeavour journal, 25 August 1768 - 12 July 1771 (vol. 2) - No. 0642
Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 642]
538.
to the Cape of Good Hope
4. Day broke & shewd us at its earliest dawn how fortunate we had been in the Calms of last night what was then supposd to be land provd realy so & not above 5 miles from us so that another hour would have infallibly have carried us upon it but fortunate as we might think ourselves to be yet unshipwreckd we were still in extreme danger the wind blew right upon the shore & with it a heavy sea ran which broke mountains high on the rocks with which it was every where lind so that tho some in the ship thought it possible the major part did not hope to be able to get off our anchors & cables were accordingly prepard but the sea ran too high to allow us a hope of the Cables holding should we be drove to the Necessity of making use of them & should we be drove ashore the Breakers gave us as little hope of saving even our lives at last however after 4 hours spent in the vicissitudes of hope & fear we found that we got gradualy off & before night were out of Danger the land from whence we so narrowly escapd is part