The breeze not being sufficient to carry us to Night Island before dark, the anchor was dropped in eleven fathoms muddy bottom, two miles to the eastward of Island 8. The Dick and San Antonio anchored close to us. During the night we had a fresh breeze from South-East by East, and, not having any island or reef to shelter us from the swell, we were obliged to drop a second anchor to retain our position. The San Antonio drove for some distance, but the Dick rode through the night without driving, although she had but forty fathoms of cable out.
June 26.
On weighing the next morning, we made sail to the North by West, but, from the compass-box not being quite straight in the binnacle, we made a North by West 1/2 West course, which was not discovered until we had nearly paid dear for our neglect; for we passed close to a rock which I intended to have gone at least a mile to windward of. It was seen just in time to put the helm a-lee, or we should have run upon it.
The weather was now so thick that we could not see a mile around us; we were therefore obliged to follow our former courses, to avoid the risk of running over a strange track in such unfavourable weather. At sunset we anchored under the lee of Piper's Islets.
June 27.
The next day we anchored under Sunday Island in Margaret Bay, at about half a mile from the sandy beach, on its north-west side.
Here we were detained by bad weather until the 30th.
June 30.
When, with some slight appearance of improvement, and tired of losing so much time, we weighed and proceeded on our course. After passing the Bird Isles, thick weather again set in, with constant rain, and a strong breeze from South-East. Upon reaching Cairncross Island, under which it was my intention to anchor, the sails were reduced; and, as we were in the act of letting go the anchor, Mr. Roe, who was at the masthead holding thoughtlessly by the fore-topmast staysail-halyards, whilst the sail was being hauled down, was precipitated from a height of fifty feet, and fell senseless on the deck. We were now close to the reef; and, in the hurry and confusion attending the accident, and the Dick at the same time luffing up under our stern, the anchor was dropped, without my ascertaining the quality of the bottom, which was afterwards found to be of a very questionable nature.
The Dick, having dropped her anchor within forty yards of us, was lying so close as to prevent our veering more cable than sixty fathoms, but as we appeared to ride tolerably easy with a sheer to starboard, while the Dick rode on the opposite sheer, we remained as we were: to prevent accident, the yards were braced so that we should cast clear of the Dick if we parted, a precaution which was most happily taken.