OF LA PEROUSE. 265 



but the aggreflbr was at length ftruck by a ball ; 

 they then all three jumped overboard a fecond 

 time and fwnm away, abandoning their canoe 

 with fome bows and arrows, of which our 

 boats' crews took poffeffion. 



All thefe canoes have an outrigger, as is re- 

 prefented in Plate XLIF. Fig. 2. It is on the 

 platform, which is fituated between the canoe 

 and the outrigger, and which is formed of to- 

 lerably clofe lattice-work, that they place 

 their arrows. The hull of the canoe is com- 

 monly five meters long, by five centimeters 

 broad. It is of a fingle piece, cut out of the 

 trunk of a tree, extremely light, and almoft as 

 foft as the wood of the hovibax. It has 

 throughout its whole length an excavation, a 

 decimeter and a half wide. Here the paddlers 

 place themfelves with their legs one before the 

 other, funk up to the calf. They are feated on 

 the upper part which is flat. At the two ex- 

 tremities, which are formed in the fhape of a 

 heart, arc feen two T's, one upon the other, 

 pretty deeply carved and fometim.es in relief. 

 The bottom of the canoe is tolerably well 

 fafliioned for going fall through the water. 

 The outrigger is always on the left-hand fide 

 of the padv^ilers. 



Thefe iflanders are in the habits of chewingr 

 betel ; they had leaves of it with calhevv'-nuts 



in 



