96 VOYAGE IN SEARCH 



them during the night ; but his authority, pef- 

 haps, did nor extend to all ; for, having driven 

 away only the greater part of them, he quitted 

 US3 and uirecled his route towards the well coaft 

 of Tongataboo. 



It would be a difficult matter to guefs how 

 he managed to get out of our Ihip thefe ifland- 

 ers, who incommoded us exceedingly. He 

 purfued them with his club, which he wielded 

 with fuch force, that they found no other means 

 of cfca-)ing from the blows of this deftrudlive 

 weapon than by throwing themfelves into the 

 fea. 



Moil of their clubs are made of cafuarina 

 wood, which is extremely hard ; however, we 

 faw fome of bone, and thefe were rather more 

 than a meter in length. As tliefe iflanders have 

 no quadruped that can furnilh them with fuch 

 bones, there is no doubt that they belong to 

 fome large cetaceous fiflies. 



Bcfides a great quantity of poultry, theyalfo 

 fold us fome pigeons of the fpecies called co- 

 Uinihd (cncci, bread-fruit, cocoa-nuts, yams, and 

 feveral varieties of plantains of a delicious fla- 

 vour. 



W^ bad prevailed on all the natives to go on 

 flicrc before dark ; for feveral had not come 

 merely to fatisfy tiicir curiofity, or to fell us 

 thcii goods. We ^-^ere not long in perceiving 



that 



