Visit from two European Traders. 35 



upon their shoulders, who, conducted by some absolutely 

 naked natives, speedily approached us. One, a fine-looking, 

 well-formed young man of about 20, addressed us in French, 

 saying he was super-cargo of the Sardinian brig Giovannina 

 of Singapore, and was occupied in taking in a cargo of cocoa- 

 nuts upon the southern shore of tlie island. The natives 

 had been so unsettled by the arrival of a war-ship, that they 

 loudly affirmed a pirate ship had made its appearance, 

 which would rob and destroy them all ; whereupon the most 

 anxious of their number entreated the few whites who fortu- 

 nately happened to be among them to start immediately for 

 the north side of the island, where the Colossus lay at anchor, 

 so as at all events to ascertain what was to be tlieii- fate. 

 In the course of the conversation which sprung up between 

 ourselves and the two strangers, we found that the super- 

 cargo was a Frenchman, born at St. Denis in the island of 

 Bourbon, and was named Auguste Tigard, while his com- 

 panion was a Sardinian. They were both singularly pale 

 and embarrassed on first falling in with us, apparently from 

 surprise and delight at finding themselves so unexpectedly in 

 the society of white men at so solitarj^ a sj)ot ; ere long how- 

 ever they felt themselves more at their ease, visited the 

 frigate, were provided with clothes, medicines, and wine, and 

 at a later period were of much use to us in our intercourse 

 with the natives. Tigard remarked that the sugar-cane, 



which at present grows wild on the island, could, judging by 



D 2 



