lis Rns'^sian Expedition to Japan. 



songs, which he, however, mutilated very much. He at 

 length recovered his French ; and then remembered that he 

 came from Bourdeaux, that his father was named John 

 Cabrit or Joseph Cabrit ; but instead of Cabrit he some- 

 times said Cadiche ; and Roberts called him John. As he 

 now saw that he could no more get back from the ship to 

 his dear Nukahivah, he exhibited a wonderful mixture of 

 melancholy and levity. Sometimes he would fall a-laiigh- 

 ing, and afterwards say in a whining tone : Moi heavcovp 

 triife la madame, la mademoiselle. He had a wife who 

 had brought him a son or a daughter; and his father-in- 

 law had given him a house with coco-nut and bread-fruit 

 trees. It was curious to observe in what manner his ideas 

 were expanded. One time, recollecting some of his joyful 

 scenes at Bourdeaux, he suddenly exclaimed, as if he had 

 seen a vision, — Beaucovp de cliandelles, heaucoup de violons^ 

 beaucniip de mnsique, les ynadames, les mademoiselles I As 

 may be readily supposed, we did not know what this meant; 

 but we at length conceived that he might remember his hav- 

 ing been at the plav. He still thought of Nukahivah, and 

 he has not yet given up the idea of returning thither. He 

 soon recovered his French, and made use of expressions 

 which he could not have learnt from us, as we were not ac- 

 quainted with them, sueh as the names of the different, 

 sails, &c. He often afforded us subject of laughter. Hav- 

 ing asked him in what the natives of Nukahivah showed 

 acuteness, he replied,- — Beaucoup d' esprit, ill ne cuucliei-a 

 pas avec sa soenr, nn autre haiscra sa soe?ir et il couchera 

 avec un autre fillc, heaucoup d' esprit I I here quote his own 

 words. From these expressions it is seen that certain de- 

 grees of consanguiuity are in that island forbidden. I once 

 gave him a good new shirt, but he immediately bartered it 

 with one of the sailors for a red flannel jacket. When 1 

 told him that he had suffered himself to be cheated, he 

 would not listen to nic. As soon as he went on shore he 

 put on the jacket, and with feathers on his head and a 

 lance in his hand danced on an eminence, capering and 

 jumping in a most extraordinary manner. Several of the 

 natives then wished to acconriany him, in order that they 

 mlfht go to war. He now showed them hov/ they would 

 creep along and conceal themselves behind bushes or among 

 the grass, and in wliat manner, when they fell in with any 

 of the enemy, thev would beat them and carry them off. 

 I le seemed to be inspired with an enthusiastic spirit of war- 

 fare, and extolled what gives these people so nmclV pleasure. 

 When asked whether he would himself eat any of the flesh 



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