244 VOYAGE IN SEARCH 



of the favages on board of this large canoe, indi- 

 cates that they have a fort of naval tactics. Be- 

 tween two paddlers placed on the fide::, a warrior 

 itood up, holding in his hand a bow and arrows; 

 fome intermediate ranks were compofed of two 

 other warriors, and fometimes of three, who had 

 their head turned towards the ftern of the canoe, 

 in order to obferve all the movements on that fide, 

 and to be ready to fight retreating. Thefe war- 

 riors had manifettcd no hoftile views: they had 

 feemed to take a pleafure in drinking the brandy 

 and the wine which had been given them ; they 

 likewife ate fome fait pork, but not without a 

 certain degree of repugnance. 



The favages who came to our fhip had excel- 

 lent teeth, for they ate without any difficulty the 

 harden bifcuit that we could offer them. 



I know not whether thefe iflanders have had 

 any communication with the Englilh and the 

 Spaniards; but one of them holding up an 

 arrow, which he had made faft to the end of a 

 line, in order that we might haul it in, pro- 

 nounced very diftinc~rly the Englilh word arroiv ; 

 and another making us a fign to go on fhore, 

 and pointing to the ifland, pronounced the word 

 tirrra, which in Spanifh fignifies land. 



The Captain of the Efpcrancc told us, that 



fevcral of thefe favages pronounced the term 



*, the name which Bougainville gave to 



their 



