OF LA PEROUSE. 165 



of Pangai'matoo. The wife and (faughter of 

 Titifa followed us in their canoe^ when, going 

 quite clofe to the Efpcrance, a mufketoon wen; 

 off of its own accord, and the ball pafTed through 

 the bottom of their fkiff : they were then ob- 

 liged to quit her, becaufe (he was finking. Wc 

 received them into our boat, and teflified to 

 them how much we were concerned at this ac- 

 cident; but they foon forgot the danger they 

 had run. They were near Titifa, and thought 

 only of the pleafure of feeing him at liberty. 

 We made them a prefent of fome articles of 

 hardware, among which a hatchet occafioned 

 them infinite fatisfadion. Titifa told us that 

 it would enable him to condruci another canoe, 

 and that he would very foon repair the lofs he 

 had juft fuflained. 



When we landed on the coaft, the greater 

 part of the natives left it, in order to retire into 

 the interior of the iiland ; but Titifa perfuaded 

 them to come back, and commanded them to 

 range themfelves in a circle, which they imme- 

 diately did. The traiBc then recommenced in 

 the beft poffible order. That chief would no: 

 quit us during all this time; but Toobou's fon 

 difappeared as ioon as he had fct his foot on 

 fiiore. 



It feemed to us that the chief who had been 



killed the day before by Trobri^nt^ was very 



M 7 much 



