Of la PERoi/sE. 223 



tt was not long before we reached the Tea-* 

 lide, where we found a group of natives, who 

 followed us, allying for fomething to eat; but 

 all our provifions being expended, I regaled 

 them with fome pieces of green and very foft 

 fleatite which I had brought from the fummit 

 of the mountains. Of this fome of them ate as 

 much as a kilogram^ 



When we ftepped into the boat to go on 

 board, one of our people having fired in the air 

 in order to difcharge his piece, fpread terror 

 an-.ong the greater part of the iflanders who 

 were on the beach, and. who fuddenly took to 

 flight and went and hid themfelves in the woods; 

 but fome of them not having miftaken our in- 

 tentions towards them, betrayed not the fmalleU: 

 fear, and recalled the fugitives, who foon came 

 back and ivji.ed them. 



I was obliged to remain on board during the 

 whole of the 26th, in order to defcribe and 

 prepare the fpecimens w^hich I hadcoUeded the 

 preceding day. 



We had received a vifit from fevcral natives 

 who fwam off to the fhip. They took great 

 care to alFure us that they were not of the num- 

 ber of thofe who had committed ads of hoftility 

 againft us, and they told us that they had eaten 

 two of thofe thieves or kayas, one of whom had 

 received a ball through the thigh, and the other 



through 



