HOLOTHUROIDE. 293 
within our view. The roadstead had no longer the aspect of a vast 
solitude: wreaths of smoke crowned the summit of Observatory 
Island, where, as if by enchantment, several large sheds had sprung 
up, while numerous vessels, supplied with divers, were proceeding to 
fish for Holothuria, which were passed immediately to the furnaces 
erected for curing them. In the course of my voyage I had often 
remarked little walls constructed of dry stones, consisting of several 
half-circles joined one to the other. I had often, but vainly, tried to 
discover the use of these little structures: I was now enlightened. 
The Malays arrived. Their boats were scarcely anchored when 
several large boilers, in the shape of a half-sphere, the diameter of 
which might be about forty inches, were placed upon the stone walls 
of which I have spoken, and now served as improvised furnaces. - 
Near to them are sheds composed of four strong posts driven into 
the ground, supporting roofing covered with hurdles, on which it is 
probably intended to dry the Holothuria. During their sojourn in 
this bay, the fishermen, having fine weather, made no use of these 
sheds, having probably only prepared them as a precaution. 
“A crowd of men actively employed in building their sheds gave 
an unaccustomed appearance to the bay, which could not fail to 
attract the savage inhabitants of the mainland. Very soon, indeed, 
we could see them hastening from all sides, and nearly all reached the 
little island, either by swimming or wading through the sheet of 
shallow water which separates it from the mainland. I only saw one 
pirogue, made of the bark of a tree badly put together, which gave a 
passage to three of these visitors. When night arrived, the Malays 
had finished all their preparations; some of them remained to 
guard what they had left on shore, all the others returned to their 
boats. 
“Tn the interval, a boat from the Astrolabe being wanted to carry 
some visitors from the island, I profited by the occasion to visit one 
of the proas, accompanied by M. Roquemauel. We were received 
with much politeness, and even cordiality, by the captain or padrone 
of the boats. He showed us over his little ship. The keel appeared 
to us sufficiently solid ; even the lines did not want elegance; but 
great disorder seemed to reign in the stowage department. From a 
kind of bridge, formed by hurdles of bamboos and junk, we saw the 
cabin, which looked like a poultry-house ; bags of rice, packets, and 
boxes were huddled together. Below was the store of water, of cured 
trepang, and the sailors’ berths. Each boat was furnished with two 
rudders, one at each end, which lifted itself when the boat touched 
the bottom. The craft was furnished with two masts, without shrouds, 
