land; but a quarter of an hour afterwards, by the light of another flash, it was again seen close to us, stretching from right a-head to our lee-quarter, and so near, that the breakers were distinctly seen gleaming through the darkness of the night. A third flash confirmed our fears as to the dangerous situation we were in; and as there was not room to veer with safety, the helm was immediately put a-lee; but, as was feared, the cutter refused stays. We were now obliged to veer as a last resource, and the sails being manoeuvred, so as to perform this operation as quickly as possible, we fortunately succeeded in the attempt, and the cutter’s head was brought to the wind upon the other tack, without her striking the rocks: we were now obliged to steer as close to the wind as possible, in order to weather the reef, on which the sea was breaking, within five yards to leeward of the vessel: our escape appeared to be next to impossible: the night was of a pitchy darkness, and we were only aware of our situation from time to time as the lightning flashed: the interval, therefore, between the flashes, which were so vivid as to illumine the horizon around, was of a most awful and appalling nature, and the momentary succession of our hopes and fears, which crowded rapidly upon each other, may be better imagined than described. We were evidently passing the line of breakers very quickly; but our escape appeared to be only possible through the interposition of a Divine Providence; for, by the glare of a vivid stream of forked lightning, the extremity of the reef was seen within ten yards from our lee-bow; and the wave which floated the vessel, the next moment broke upon the rocks with a surf as high as her mast-head: at this dreadful moment the swell left the cutter, and she struck upon a rock with such force, that the rudder was nearly lifted out of the gudgeons: fortunately we had a good seaman at the helm, for instantly recovering the tiller, by a blow from which he had been knocked down when the vessel struck, he obeyed my orders with such attention and alacrity, that the sails were kept full; so that by her not losing way, she cleared the rock before the succeeding wave flowed from under her, and the next moment a flash of lightning shewed to our almost unbelieving eyes that we had pulsed the extremity of the rocks, and were in safety!
“It was now doubtful whether we could clear the point under our lee which we first saw; but as the next flush shewed that we were between the heads of Botany Bay, and that the point on which we had nearly been wrecked was, according to Captain Hunter’s plan. Cape Banks, its north, era head, we bore up, and, in half an hour, were safe at anchor. On the 6th, H.E. the Governor was informed of our arrival, and of our intention to go round to Port Jackson us soon as the weather cleared up; but we were detained by it until the 9th, when with some difficulty we cleared the entrance of the bay. At noon, the anchor was once more dropped in Sydney Cove, after an absence of twenty-five weeks and three days.”
As soon as an opportunity offered, the Mermaid was laid
