240 INHABITANTS OF THE CALVADOS GBOUP. 



canoe from a neighbouring' island^ and on the follow- 

 ing' morning two more canoes came off. The people 

 in one canoe kept at a safe distance, but those in the 

 other came alongside, and after ■ exhausting their 

 stock of yams and other articles of barter, went off 

 to their more cautious companions, and speedily 

 returned to us with a fresh supply. The canoe was 

 an old patched-up affair, and while one of the natives 

 was standing up with a foot on each gunwale, a 

 previous fracture in the bow, united only by pitch, 

 gave way, and a piece of the side, four feet long, 

 came out, allowing the water to rush in. The canoe 

 would speedily have been swamped, had not the 

 author of the mischief held on the piece in his hand, 

 while some of the others bailed away as rapidly as 

 possible, and the remainder paddled off with despe- 

 ration, shouting loudly to the people in the second 

 canoe for help; But their friends seemed as much 

 frightened as themselves, not knowing the nature of 

 the accident, and probably supposing that we had 

 been roug'hly treating their companions ; — they made 

 sail for the shore, and did not stop until they had 

 got half a mile away from the ship, when they 

 waited until the damaged canoe came up in a sinking 

 state, bailed her out, and after taking some people 

 out of her, both made off, under sail, and we saw no 

 more of them. 



But for this accident I would probably have got 

 a few words of their language to compare with those 

 obtained at Brierly Island. Our ^dsitors were pro- 



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