Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Byron continued due west in quest of the Solomons. But he had
not forgotten that there were other potential objectives to Pacific ex-
ploration - the great south continent, for example:
For a day or two before we made the Islands of Disappointment
till this day we saw vast flocks of birds which we observed towards
evening always flew away to the S°ward. This is a convincing proof
to me that there is land that way, and had not the winds failed me in
the higher latitudes as mentioned before, I make no doubt but I should
have fell in with it, and in all probability made the discovery of the
S° Continent. Indeed if it had not been for the sickness in both ships, I
would still have attempted it by hauling away to the S°ward immedi-
ately from those islands. I remarked before that all the islands we have
seen are well peopled. Now if there are not a chain of islands reaching
to the continent how can we account for these peoples being here, situ-
ated we may say in the middle of this vast Southern Ocean? 18
Had Byron turned southwards he would not have found Aus-
tralia but he would have made some of those discoveries which were
now reserved for later, more single-minded explorers.
The commodore was more concerned about the safety of his
men. As well as illness he now had to contend with the navigational
hazards of an ocean dotted with uncharted reefs, shoals, atolls and
islands which offered no safe havens and were more dangerous than
the empty sea. Night-time sailing was particularly difficult. The ships
could only proceed cautiously with few sails set, trying not to lose
sight of each other and ever on the watch for broken water ahead.
Off-duty watches were frequently brought on deck in the small
hours by the warning boom of the consort's cannon or the cry of a
nervous lookout who had confused the glint of moonlight on water
for waves breaking over coral. And lost sleep was especially irritat-
ing to men weakened by scurvy, as most of them now were. On 29
 
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