OF LA BEROUSE. 241 



of weapon, they tried to make us fenfible of its 

 value, by (hewing us the manner in which they 

 11 fed it. 



One of the gunners fetched his violin, and 

 played feveral tunes : we faw, with pleafure, 

 that they were not infenfible to mufic : they 

 offered a great number of articles in exchange, in 

 order to obtain this inftxument ; they alked for 

 it by imitating, with a paddle held as a riddle, 

 the motions of our miuftrel. It may eafily be 

 imagined that their folicitations were unavail- 

 ing : this was the only riddle that ferved to fet 

 the fhip's company a dancing, and the voyage 

 was not fufficiently advanced for us to part with 

 an inftrument which promoted an exercife fo 

 conducive to the health of feamen. 



We loaded thefe favages with prefents in fuch 

 a manner, that they foon made the greater!: 

 difficulties to give their effects in exchange for 

 ours ; and they frequently blended artifice with 

 diftionefty in order to procure them. The Ad- 

 miral wifhing; to have a bow, fome handker- 

 chiefs firiped with red, the favourite colour of 

 the favages, was the price agreed on : thefe were 

 given to them in advance, too implicit a confi- 

 dence being placed in their probity ; as foon 

 as they had received the handkerchiefs, they 

 would not part with the bow, but only with 

 fome arrows, which were refuted. 



vol. 1. r Thefe 



