, 4 6 A V O Y A G E T O 



»779- choofe that time for this amufement, which is performed in 



March. 



the following manner: Twenty or thirty of the natives, 

 taking each a long narrow board, rounded at the ends, fet 

 out together from the fhore. The firft wave they meet, they 

 plunge under, and fuffcring it to roll over them, rife again 

 beyond it, and make the bed of their way, by fwimming, 

 out into the fea. The fecond wave is encountered in the 

 fame manner with the firft; the great difficulty confifting 

 in feizing the proper moment of diving under it, which, if 

 miffed, the perlbn is caught by the furf, and driven back 

 again with great violence; and all his dexterity is then re- 

 quired to prevent himfelf from being dafhed againft the 

 rocks. As foon as they have gained, by thefe repeated ef- 

 forts, the fmooth water beyond the furf, they lay them- 

 felves at length on their board, and prepare for their return* 

 As the furf confifts of a number of waves, of which every 

 third is remarked to be always much larger than the others, 

 and to flow higher on the fhore, the reft breaking in the 

 intermediate fpace, their firft object is to place, themfelves 

 on the fummit of the largeft furge, by which they arc 

 driven along with amazing rapidity toward the fhore. If by 

 miftake they mould place themfelves on one of the fmaller 

 waves, which breaks before they reach the land, or fliould 

 not be able to keep their plank in a proper direction on the 

 top of the fwell, they arc left expofed to the fury of the 

 next, and, to avoid it, are obliged again to dive and regain 

 the place, from which they fet out. Thofe who fucceed in 

 their object of reaching the fhore, have ftill the greateft 

 danger to encounter. The coaft being guarded by a chain 

 of rocks, with, here and there, a fmall opening between 

 them, they are obliged to fleer their board through one of 

 thefe, or, in cafe of failure, to quit it, before they reach the 

 4 rocks, 



