OF LA PEROUSE. 



97 



that they had ftolen from us a great many things. 

 In the mean time, all the canoes were already 

 gone, and there Hill remained on board fix 

 iflanders^ who, having now no other means of 

 returning on fliore than by fwimming, begged 

 us to let them pafs the night upon deck ; there 

 was one of them however who preferred fwim- 

 ming on fhorc, although we were about two 

 kilometers from the neareft coafl:. We admired 

 the facility with which he executed all his mo- 

 tions. He fwam conftantly oa the belly, with 

 his neck entirely out of the water; he made 

 very little efforts with his left hand, keeping 

 it always before him;^ while he took a very 

 great fweep v, ith his right hand, carrying it at 

 every ftroke againll the thigh of the fame 

 fide : his hodv was at the fame time rather in- 

 clined to the left ; this flill added to the rapi- 

 dity with which he divided the water. I never 

 faw an Kuropean fv, im with fomuch confidence, 

 Jior with fo iinich fwiftnefs. 



Tccnc:i rcturncil the next morning, to fpcnd a 

 few hours on board; he amulcd himfcif ex- 

 ceedin;'"ly in examining the moil minute 'gti- 

 tures of a monkey which i:elongcd to one oi 

 our gunners. 



'i'hc tciii:, 'or our obfervatorv v.'crc pjtch.cuii 

 on tlic rouLh-\vert cccill <.i i^aii.ia'in^'.:;;') ; and 

 there were con'.cveJ to the faiue fj^ei; cloths of 



V(U,. II. H dii'crent 



