was easy to see the bottom at a considerable depth. But to this sense, of
course, the captain did not trust, for he kept the lead going constantly,
although all eyes were also employed in searching for rocks.

The first cast of the lead was in five fathoms, and these soundings were
held nearly up to the inlet, where the lead struck a rock in three fathoms
and a half. At this point, then, a more careful examination was made, but
three and a half was the shallowest cast. As the Montauk drew nearly a
fathom less than this, the cautious old master proceeded closer in.
Directly in the mouth of the inlet was a large flat rock, that rose nearly
to the surface of the sea, and which, when the tide was low, was probably
bare. This rock Captain Truck at first believed would defeat his hopes of
success, which by this time were strong; but a closer examination showed
him that on one side of it was a narrow passage, just wide enough to
admit a ship.

From this spot the channel became crooked, but it was sufficiently marked
by the ripple on the reef; and after a careful investigation, he found it
was possible to carry three fathoms quite within the reef, where a large
space existed that was gradually filling up with sand, but which was
nearly all covered with water when the tide was in, as was now the case,
and which had channels, as usual, between the banks. Following one of
these channels a quarter of a mile, he found a basin of four fathoms of
water, large enough to take a ship in, and, fortunately, it was in close
proximity to a portion of the reef that was always bare, when a heavy sea
was not beating over it. Here he dropped a buoy, for he had come provided
with several fragments of spars for this purpose; and, on his return, the
channel was similarly marked off, at all the critical points. On the flat
rock, in the inlet, one of the men was left, standing up to his waist
in-the water, it being certain that the tide was failing.