55<5 VOYAGE IN SBARCH 



iheir natural flope towards the waves. Several 

 fruits arrived at maturity already covered their 

 fur face. 



Thefe enchanting fpots gave us reafon to con- 

 gratulate ourfelves on our excurfton. After hav 

 ing fpent fome time in them, we returned to our 

 canoe to proceed again towards the opening of 

 the roadftead. 



A charming fituation in the vicinity of a 

 dwelling occupied by fomc natives, determined 

 us to land on the beach. The mafter of the 

 houfe was abfent ; but we found in this peaceful 

 abode a young mother of a family, who, fur- 

 rounded by her children, was amufing them 

 very much by accompanying her agreeable voice 

 with a ftringed inftrument of an extremely 

 ftmple kind ; it was a ftump of bamboo a deci- 

 meter and a half long, covered at one of its ends 

 with a piece of parchment like a drum ; three 

 filaments of rattan bark fixed to the two extre- 

 mities of the cylinder, and each extended by a 

 bridge) formed the firings of this inftrument, 

 Which was placed acrofs her knees. The two 

 fartheft brings produced an octave, and the 

 middle firing produced a fifth, with the mod 



ntimeter in height at 



each ex to fupport other firings, 



intended to render the infirunicnt 



more fonorous : thefe firings were ftretched 



more 



