. OF I-A PEROUSE. 185 



Some natives followed in their canoes, tefti- 

 fying to us extreme regret at feeing us quit their 

 ifland ; they called out to us on all fides, Offa^ 

 offa, Fa/an^ois ! at the fame timie giving us marks 

 of their cordial good wiflies. 



We prefendy outflripped the canoes, which 

 were condud:ed only by means of paddles; 

 but thofe under fail were obliged to deaden 

 their way in order to keep at a fiiort diftance 

 from us, and we had occalion to remark that 

 their velocity was much greater than that of 

 our fhips, when they wiflied to avail themfelves 

 of the whole (Ircngth of the wind ; neverthelefs 

 they would very quickly have loft this advan- 

 tage, had the wind been ftronger and the water 

 a little rough. They ceafed to follow us as foon 

 as we had gained the open fea. We were then 

 upwards of a myriameter from the anchorage 

 which we had juft left, and the weftern ex- 

 tremity of Altataa bore fouth 48 weft, at the 

 fame moment we founded in twenty-two flithoms 

 and a half water, over a gravelly bottom. 



The next day, the i ith, about five o'clock in 

 the afternoon, we faw Turtle Iftand to the 

 norih-weft by north. 



On the 1 6th, at fevcn o'clock in the morn- 

 ing, the Efperance made the ngnal for land 

 bearing weft 18 north, at the diftance of about 

 four myriameters. It was Erroiiany the moft 

 3 eafterly 



