232 VOYAGE IN SEARCH 



towards our fhips, proceeding to the weft, in 

 order to follow the flope of a great valley pa- 

 rallel to that which we had juft croiTed. I 

 there remarked feveral new fpecies ol pa 1 flora* 

 The amomum zingiber was growing there in to- 

 lerable abundance^ but the natives told us that 

 they made no ufe of it : they quitted us and went 

 to the eallward as foon as we had reached the 

 beach, where we found boats waiting to take us 

 on board. 



I palled the whole of the 30th in defcribing 

 and preparing the numerous colleftion of fpe- 

 cimens of natural hiilory which I had made the 

 preceding day. 



The next morning, the ift of May, we di 

 rcaed our route to the fouth-eaft, and after 

 having penetrated a good way into the woods, 

 v.e arrived at a hut furrounded by palifades, 

 behind which were a woman and two children, 

 who appeared frightened at our approach ; but 

 their apprehenfions vaniflied when we gave 

 them fome bits of cloth and fome glafs beads. 



We then walked towards two large fires, 

 lighted by the favages, in one of the moft 

 gloomy parts of the foreft. ThCy fled as foon 

 as "CviQy perceived us, leaving behind two bafkets 

 filled with the bark of trees. 



We foon reached the banks of the marfhes, 

 w here we killed fome cr.arming birds of the 



w.ujcicapa 



