33# VOYAGE IN SEARCH 



a thread was wanting to tie them into nofegays : 

 we were witnefTes to the quicknefs with which 

 the natives contrive to procure threads from the 

 baftard aloe, called agave vivipara. The raaf- 

 ter of the houfe went immediately and cut a 

 branch of this plant, and retting it on his 

 thigh in order to fcrape it with his large knife, 

 and take off its pulp, he obtained from it a faf- 

 cicle of threads as long as the leaf and as flrong 

 as thofc of our befl hemp. 



On our return we met a flave whofe decrepi- 

 tude excited our curiolity ; it was to no pur- 

 pofe that we afked him how old he was, he 

 could not fatisfy us, for he knew nothing of his 

 age : it appeared to us furprifing that he fhould 

 not know the number of years that he had pafled 

 in fl a very. 



On the 27th I went up the roadftcad in a canoe 

 with a double outrigger. Some of our fportfmen 

 took this opportunity of proceeding quickly to 

 the eaftward of the town, and joined our party. 

 We followed the right hand lhore of the road, 

 at a fmall difrance from the coaft : the water 

 was fo limpid that we could fee, at the depth of 

 three or four fathoms, a white bottom compofed 

 of madrcporx, on which we perfectly diftin- 

 guifhed a fpecies of ray remarkable for large cir- 

 cular (pots of a light azure blue, and fevcral 

 other fifhes of the moft brilliant colours. Among 



our 



