The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1894-08-31


traps for catching turtle.
We returned on board at 5 pm,
and. soon after, the wind sprang up
strong from the NV. with rainy
weather. increasing to a gale before
midnight. We close-reefed the top
sails and reefed the foresail, and held
them in stops ready for setting. The
captain decided to run out of the
Straits again if the chain parted. The
wind blew hurricane before morn
ing, but the ship, being to leeward OF
the island, rode out the storm very
comfortably, and by 8 am. of the 18th
il was all over, and fine weather set in
again. Our companion, the French
man, we were glad to see, rode out the
gale in safety, but, being so far to lee
ward, he had a very rough time,
and the seas broke all over him.
Just before noon the wind having
got into the eastward again, we got
underway, which, the Frenchman
seeing, did the same. Our course lay
to the S. w, and the sun being nearly
ahead and very bright, made it
almost impossible to distinguish the
shallow places, and about p m.
we came to an anchor near Dove ISL
and in fifteen fathoms of water,
with two other small islands, one to
the east and the other to the south Of
US. During our passage through
these straits my station when the
ship was under sail was on the fore
topsail yard, keeping lookout for
shoals and sand bars. Soon after
passing Rennell Island, / reported a
shoal on the port bow. The captain
came up to look at it. | lent him my
glasses and soon after he dropped
them on deck. He consoled me for
the loss of them by saying, they were
no better than pair of soda water
bottles. However, he presented me
with a new pair after we arrived in
Singapore. The JOurdain anchored
close TO us this time, and after supper
we paid him a visit. We were anXi-
Gus to know how he rode out the gale.
They said they never expected to see
day. They had done all that
could be done for the safety Of the
ship, and having done their duty like
good Frenchmen, they were prepared
to die if necessary. They treated us
to brandy and claret again, and about
p. m. we returned 10 our own ship.
April 18th at a. M. we got underway
forenoon we had been passing be-
tween a lot of sand bars just awash.
Soon after leaving the anchorage that
morning our course was shaped to
clear a small island to the southwest.
The captain thought by giving the
little island berth of two miles we
should certainly go clear, but from
my lookout aloft l saw what [
thought was small tree growing out !
Of the water right ahead, and so re-
ported it. But on nearer approach |
[ saw that it was moving, and that !
there was a man behind it, and he |
was waving the bush as a sign of |
We did not wish to COM
nunicate with him, but were glad he |
was there to show us where the reef !
was. He was fully two miles from |
he land and the point of the reef |
extended half mile beyond him. |
After passing three sand bars called |
he Sisters Pol, Sue and Bet, we an |
,hored for the day, as the sun showed |
90 bright ahead TO enable US to dis |
inguish the shoals. From our an
,horage Mount Earnest Island bore |
\. w. one half W., distant five miles;
Saddle Island NE. by N, and Burke !
md Pole Islands just open of each |
,ther, bearing N.N.W. from us. Our
anchored near us; we did |
lot visit him that evening, thinking !
le would come over to see us, but he !
lid not.
April 14th we got under way at day |
light, the French bark following us. |
The first four hours we had all we
ould do to keep the vessel clear of |
eefs and sand bars, as the water was so
mooth and gave no indication of a
hoal until we were very close. We |
an over several shOal places but did |
rot strike. The least water reported |
" the leadsman was 4f fathoms. |
\ bout noon we entered Prince of |
Wales Channel, which is formed by |
ong sand bar on the north side, and |
he northern coasts of some ISL |
lnds of good elevation on the |
outh side The passage through |
he channel is like sailing on a river. |
It is not more than two miles wide |
and perfectly smooth. AT p. n. we |
mad passed BOBBY Island (where there |
is supposed TO be a postoffice; also |
place OF refuge for shipwrecked marin
srs), and our trip through Torres
Straits was ended. We fired off our two |
lannon's and all the mu.kets, and sig
nailed "GOod-bye" to the French
nan, set all our sails, including stud |
ling sails, and at dark the Jourdain |
was nearly out of sight astern, and we |
,aw no more of him. The skull that |
Mr.. Minott brought from Dalrymple |
Island had its use, for when there was
90 much hilarity amongst the after
guards, he would bring out the old |
skull aud set it on the after hatch
louse, then bid us gaze on it and con-
template what we were all coming to. |
About twelve months after, when |
we arrived in Boston, Mr.. Minott |
0oxed it up and sent it with an ex-
note to Professor Agassiz at |
College, Cambridge.
W G. GOODMAN