OP LA PEROUSE. 239 



A canoe, containing nine favages, put off 

 from the coaft, and directed her courfe towards 

 us. We immediately brought to, in order to 

 wait for them ; but they flopped when they 

 were fix hundred meters from our fhip : they 

 pointed to their ifland, and invited us by ligns 

 to come on fhore. In this canoe there were only 

 feven paddlers ; two other natives teemed to be 

 folely employed in baling out the water which 

 they fhipped, and watching our motions. 



A favage who had put off alone from the 

 coaft in a catamaran, paddled with the greateft 

 rapidity, and came up to the canoe, which con- 

 stantly kept to windward of us ; he was a very old 

 man, and yet remarkably flout. After having 

 obferved us for a few minutes, he returned to- 

 wards the iiland as quickly as he had come : he . 

 probably was a mefTenger difpatched by the in- 

 habitants, and now returned to give them an 

 account of what he had juft feen. 



The canoe quitted us to go towards the Ef- 

 pcrance ; a very large one was already alongfide 

 ot her. 



We faw at a diflance another fmall canoe, 

 carrying five natives, who came aftern of our 

 fhip, from which they kept at about a hun- 

 dred meters diflance, notwithstanding all the 

 invitations that we made them to come on 

 board. 



We 



