236 VOYAGE IN SEARCH 



found by rr.eans of a pointed ftick that they 

 thruil: into the fand. 



We had proceeded more than a myria- 

 meter along the coaft without feeing a brook, 

 when three young favages came to meet us, and 

 invited us to follow them towards their cabin, 

 which was not far diftant from the path that we 

 were following. We found there a fpring under 

 which they had dug fome trenches to convey 

 the water towards a few^ trees of aru/}i ^nacrorhizon^ 

 the roots of which they eat. 



We were on the declivity of a hill under 

 the fliade of a few cocoa-nut trees. One 

 of the favages, whom I begged to gather us 

 fome fruits, afcended one of thcfe trees with 

 extreme agility. 



We foon continued our route towards the 

 weft. The air being ftill, we experienced an 

 extreme heat, and were attacked by a cloud of 

 fand-flies, which tormented us exceflively, 

 flinging us all over the body, even to the eyes 

 and ears. Fortunately in a little time there 

 fprang up a breeze that delivered us from them 

 and completely difperfed them. 



In a fliort time we arrived at the bank of a 

 deep channel, which ran inland as far as the 

 foot of the very fteep mountain. It fervcd as 

 a haven to the iilanders, and we fav," three of 



them enter it in a double canoe, which they 



fe cured 



