VALUE OF BLUE BEADS. 275 
would be interesting to know the cause of this 
striking difference. 
In less than an hour we had obtained up- 
wards of sixty large pigs, and a superfluity of 
fowls, vegetables, and fruits of various kinds, 
covering our whole deck, all of which cost us 
only some pieces of old iron, some strings of 
glass beads, and about a dozen nails. The 
blue beads seemed to be in highest estimation. 
A great fat pig was thought sufficiently paid 
for by two strings of them; and when they 
became scarce with us, the savages were glad 
to give two pigs for one such necklace. 
Some of the fruits and roots they brought 
were unknown to us; and their great size 
proved the strength of the soil. The bananas 
were of seven or eight species, of which I had 
hitherto seen but three in the most fruitful 
countries. Some of them were extremely large, 
and of a most excellent flavour. One of the 
fruits resembled an egg in size and figure; 
its colour was a bright crimson; and on the 
following day when we celebrated the Easter 
festival after the Russian fashion, they supplied 
to us the place of the Easter eggs. 
