3l8 VOYAGE IN SEARCPI 



many plants, among others the harleria prionl-' 

 tisy and feveral new fpecies of croton. 



Moft of the habitations were built on the 

 fummit of the charming hills uith which this 

 part of the ifland is interfected. We were re- 

 ceived with cordiality by the natives, who of- 

 fered us different fpecies of fruits. One of 

 them, in particular, having gone to gather us 

 fome cocoa-nuts, quickly reached the top of 

 one of the tailed trees, making ufe of a method 

 which feemed to me remarkable. He firfl", with 

 a piece of cloth, tied his legs together towards 

 the lower extremity, thus forming a purchafe 

 which helped him to clafp, with his feet, the 

 trunk of the tree tight enough to bear the 

 whole weight of his body ; and as the trunk of 

 this palm was rather flender, by alternately 

 working himfelf up with his arms and feet 

 along the tree, he very foon reached the top. 



On the brow of the fteepefl places of fome of 

 the hil!s, we remarked forts, where the inhabi- 

 tants take refuge when the enemy approaches 

 their dwcllincrs. Thefe forts of baftions conlift 

 of pretty thick flone walls, from three to four 

 meters high, furrounding a fquare piece of 

 ground of twenty or thirty meters in extent. 



The natives, who a few days before had fold 

 us fome cloth, had not deceived us in faying 

 that it had been manufactured in the Ifland of 



Bouton. 



