Page:A Voyage to Terra Australis Volume 1.djvu/161

Flinders
and Bass.
1798.

even there, but still more so down the sides; the shore under it is mostly a white, sandy beach.

At noon the centre of the mountain bore N.N.W. four leagues; but the haziness of the weather prevented an observation being taken for the latitude, as it had before done when passing in the Francis.^[1] We then hauled further off the coast, with the Nautilus in company, and being near the latitude of Cape Howe,(Atlas,
Plate VI.) at ten o'clock, lay to until daylight, for the purpose of obtaining a good departure; but on the 9th, the wind had veered to south-west, and the weather having a bad appearance, we bore up for Two-fold Bay. The course after passing Green Cape, was N. 16° W. seven miles to Haycock Point, and N. 44° W. three or four miles from thence to the south point of entrance to the bay; the shore being all along bold, and for the most part rocky. From the south point, which may be known by its reddish appearance and having a steep rock lying off it, we steered for Snug Cove, on the north-west side of the bay; and there anchored in 3½ fathoms, sandy bottom, at something more than a cable's length from the small beach, and the same distance from the two points which bound the cove. In this situation, the outer red point was hidden by Snug-cove Head; and further out, in 5 fathoms, where the Nautilus anchored, the head and point were in a line.

In order to make some profit of this foul wind, Mr. Bass landed early next morning to examine the country, whilst I went with Mr. Simpson to commence a survey of Two-fold Bay. In the way from Snug Cove, through the wood, to the long northern beach, where I proposed to measure a base line, our attention was suddenly called by the screams of three women, who took up their children and ran off in great consternation. Soon afterward a man made his appearance. He was of a middle age, unarmed, except with a whaddie, or wooden scimitar, and came up to us seemingly with careless confidence. We made much of him, and gave him some biscuit; and he

1. The highest part of Mount Dromedary appears to lie in 36° 19′ south, and longitude 150° 11′ east; or about 2′ south and 11′ east of its position in captain Cook's chart.