F LA PEROUSE. 21 S 



covered, came up to us, feemingly to put him^ 

 felf in our power; but his courage appeared 

 to revive when we gave him ^ few bits of 

 bifcuit. 



The gardener had juft Town in the woods 

 different forts of feeds brought from Europe; 

 he had ftill fome remaining, which he gave to 

 this favage, under a promife that he would fow 

 them. 



We foon met with feveral huts all feparated 

 from each other, and in which we were fur- 

 prifed to find no inhabitants. They were con- 

 flrudled in the fame manner as that of which I 

 have given a defcription in the beginning of 

 this chapter. Farther on we found a heap of 

 aflies; probably one of the dwellings had been 

 recently burnt by the fire which thefe favages 

 kindle in them to drive away the mufkitoes. 

 The ground had been raifed a, double decimeter 

 to preferve it from inundation. Two tombs, 

 which were very near it, had received no damage, 

 I faw there two human bones, each fufpcnded 

 by a ftring to a long ftick fixed in the ground ; 

 the one was a tibia, and the other a thigh-bone. 



I remarked on the hills, which I crofled in 

 order to regain our hmding-place, the tree 

 known by the name of covr.merjonia echinata^ 

 \\'hich grows in great abundance in the Mo- 

 luccas. Among the new fpecies of il:rubs which 



F 4. I co\-^. 



