OF LA PEROUSE. 213 



by the advice of the furgeon, to make a 

 trial on a goofe, which thence felt no bad 

 confequence ; but fevcral of the failors not 

 chpofing to wait to quench their thirft till this 

 experiment was made, had already drunk even 

 before it was begun. 



Some of the inhabitants having approached 

 our landing-place, two lines were drawn on the 

 fand, beyond which they were forbidden to 

 pafs ; and we had the fatisfadlion to fee that 

 they were very obedient to thefe orders. Wc 

 gave moft of them bits of bifcuit which they 

 afls:edofus, holding out one hand, while with 

 the other they pointed to their belly, naturally 

 very lank, but the mufcles of which they con- 

 traded as much as they could, in order to draw 

 it in ftill more. I faw however one cf them 

 come up who already had his ftomach well 

 filled, but who neverthelefs ate in our prefence 

 a lump of a very foft fteatite of a greenilh colour 

 and as big as his two fifts. We afterwards faw 

 a number of others eat quantities of the fame 

 fort of earth; it ferves to deaden the fenfe of 

 hunger by filling their ftomach, thus fup- 

 porting the vifcera attached to the diaphragm ; 

 and althouQ:h this fubftance does not afford any 

 nutritious juice, it is yet very ufeful to thefc 

 people, who muft be often expofed to be long 

 in want of food, for they apply themfelves little 



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