OP LA PEROUSE. 279 



fantly afked us for others, repeating very fre- 

 quently matai (dead), and fhaking thofe which 

 they had jufl: received, as if they wiihed to 

 give us to underftand that they would make ufe 

 of them againft their enemies. In a little time 

 after, five other canoes joined this, and ap- 

 proached our fhip without manifefting the 

 fmalleft fear. We admired the elegant form 

 of thefe canoes, which perfe<flly refembled thofe 

 we had feen the preceding days along the eaft 

 coaft of the Arfacides (See Plate XLIIL Fig. 2), 

 They were feven meters long, by two-thirds of 

 a meter wide, and five decimeters in depth. 

 Their bottom was of a fingle piece, cut out of 

 the trunk of a tree; and in order to raife their 

 fides, there was fixed on timbers, placed at 

 fpme diftance from each other, on each fide of 

 the canoe, a plank which occupied its whole 

 length, and at the tv,-o extremities were faftened 

 other planks above this. We remarked, 

 t]\e outfide of the latter, fome figures of 

 birds, fillies, &c. rudely carved. Moft of the 

 canoes were terminated in the fore part by the 

 Iiead of a bird, underneath which was xcen a 

 large tuft of fringe dyed red, and which ap- 

 peared to be made of the leaves of the pajidanusi 

 on the flem alfo were other tufts, which v.ere 

 likewife of a red colour; and towards the ex- 

 tremity we obferved, in the in fide of feveral 

 T A canoes.^ 



