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towards them, I went forward attended by about 20 of them, who, as soon as 

 ue had got behind some trees, which prevented my people seeing us, began to 

 lay violent hands on my clothes, and endeavour to pull them off; but having a 

 small hanger, I drew it, and, making a stroke at the most officious of them, 

 retreated as fast as possible to the beach. Soon after we heard the sound of a 

 conch-shell; on which all the people retired, with all possible expedition, to a 

 party of about 200, who were assembled at about a mile distance. It was now near 

 sun-set, and we were near a mile from our boat; and, as I was apprehensive we 

 might be way-laid in our return if we staid longer, I ordered my people to return 

 with all possible speed; but first went to the houses the natives had abandoned, 

 and found them stripped of every thing; so that I suppose this party had been 

 amusing us while others had been employed in removing their wives, chil- 

 dren, &c, into the woods. I intended to have attempted another day to have 

 penetrated into the country, and had prepared my people for it; but the incon- 

 siderate resentment of an officer who was sent with me, rendered my scheme 

 abortive. He had been in the boat to some of the natives who had waded out 

 on a reef of rocks and called to us; they had brought some cocoa-nuts, for 

 which he gave them pieces of cloth: one of them seeing his hanger lying beside 

 him in the boat, snatched it and ran away; on which he fired on them, and 

 pursued them to some of their houses, which, finding empty, he burnt. This 

 set the whole country In alarm; conch-shells were sounded all over the bay, and 

 in the morning we saw great multitudes of people assembled in different places, 

 making use of threatening gestures; so that finding it would be unsafe to venture 

 among them again, as, for want of understanding their language, we could not 

 come to any explanation with them, I ordered the anchor to be weighed, and 

 sailed out of the bay, bringing away 2 of the natives with me. 



When at Tappanooly I saw what I find in Purchas's Pilgrim called the won- 

 derful plant of Sombrero: his account however is somewhat exaggerated, when 

 he says it bears leaves and grows to be a great tree. The name by which it is 

 known to the Malays is lalan-lout, that is, sea-grass. It is found in sandy bays, 

 in shallow water, where it appears like a slender straight stick, but when you 

 attempt to touch it, it immediately withdraws itself into the sand. I could 

 never observe any tentacula: a broken piece, near a foot long, which, after 

 many unsuccessful attempts, I drew out, was perfectly straight and uniform, 

 and resembled a worm drawn over a knitting-needle; when dry it is a coral. 



The sea cocoa- nut, which has long been erroneously considered as a marine 

 production, and been so extremely scarce and valuable, is now discovered to be 

 the fruit of a palm with flabelliform leaves, which grows abundantly on the small 

 islands to the eastward of Madagascar, called in our charts Mahi, &c. and by 

 the French Les Isles de Sechelles. To these islands the French have sent a 



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