40 VOYAGE IN SE.ARCH 



weed caUed/iiciis palmatus; and when it had ac- 

 quired a certain degree of foftnefs, they tore it 

 in pieces and ate it. 



We reniarkedj with much intereft, the great 

 pains that one of the mothers took to quiet her 

 child ff:i!l at the breaft, whofe tears our prefence 

 had excited ; the only way {"iic could fucceed 

 was by putting I-.er hand on i::s eyes, to prevent 

 it from feeing us any m.ore. 



None of thefe inhabitants appeared with arms : 

 but perhaps they had concealed them clofe at 

 hand; for feveral of us having exprelTed a wifli 

 to penetrate into the woods, one of the favages 

 earneftly begged them not to go that way. We 

 did not perfiit, for fear of giving them fome 

 caufe of miftrufi: : however, fome of our 

 people, wifliing to deceive the vigilance of this 

 fentinel, advanced a little alnn;. the beach, in 

 order to be able to enter tlu" forcd without his 

 lvn(>vsled^::e ; btit one of the women, perceiving 

 their intention, fet up fome horrible fcreams, 

 to a:\ 'i'e the other favages, who entreated 

 them to return towards the iea. 



We knew not to what caufe to attribute their 

 repugnance tor our aliments ; but they would 

 not taftc any of tliofj which we c^flVrcd them: 

 thiCy did not even permit their c'^iidrcr. to eat 

 tiie fiirar which we gave them, t.iking great 

 care to withdraM' ]t from their mouih as foon as 



they 



