THE ST. LAWRENCE ISLANDS. 155 



good, blind divinity is happily deceived, and throws 

 no obstacles in their way. On the other hand, they 

 try to gain the two sons while they are on the way 

 thither by songs full of flattery ; from this we see 

 that they attribute to their gods human weak- 

 nesses, as the Greeks and Romans did. Their 

 first prayer is, that the rain water may not vanish 

 as long as they are there. They also aflirm, that 

 sharks devour no men at Bigar. 



The 18th of March. The current daily carried 

 us ten or twelve miles to the west, and I was 

 obliged to take quite a northern course, not to miss 

 the Cornwallis islands. Our meridian observa- 

 tions gave for the latitude 13° 45' IT', longitude 

 190° 38' 45". The islands therefore could not be 

 far distant, which was also indicated by a number 

 of sea-birds, which, having fluttered round us the 

 whole day, left us in the evening; and Kadu, who 

 did not suppose any land to be near, suddenly 

 cried out, pointing to the birds, " There is certainly 

 land! the birds are flying home to their young 

 ones ; and by this we always know how to find an 

 island when we have lost it.'* From this it appears 

 that La Peyrouse was wrong in aflirming the con- 

 trary ; as even the savages have made this observa- 

 tion, and take the birds for their guide in the 

 evening. 



The 19th. After having tacked during the 

 night under few sails, not to miss the islands, we 

 continued, at dawn, our course to the north, and 



