With the intention of attempting the eastern passage into this upper bay,
he returned on board from his visit to the islet (which he named
Curlew-Islet, and which is in the latitude of 25 degrees 17 minutes S)
and got the sloop under weigh; but was obliged to give up the idea, on
finding the shoal water so extensive as to make it probable that it
joined a line of breakers; and, the sun being near the horizon, to get
clear of the shoal water before dark became a principal concern, and
together induced him to shape a course for a sloping hummock on the west
side of the bay.
The soundings deepened gradually to six fathoms; but, shoaling again to
three and even two fathoms, Mr Flinders suspected that the flood tide
might have set the vessel to the southward toward the shore; this,
however, did not appear to have happened; for at daylight the following
morning her situation was what he supposed it would be, the sloping
hummock bearing W 5 degrees N and their distance off shore about two
miles, the wind having remained at SW during the whole night.
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