laferouse's voyage. 



513 



to a share in the glory which the English were reaping from 

 maritime adventure and exploration. He drew up a plan of 

 campaign with his own hand, ordered the two frigates Boussole 

 and Astrolabe to be prepared for sea, and gave the command 

 of the expedition to Jean-Frangois Galaup de la Perouse, — 

 better known as Laperouse. The vessels were supplied with, 

 every accessory of which they could possibly have need. The 

 instructions and recommendations received from the Academy 

 of Sciences fill a quarto volume of four hundred pages. The 

 fleet sailed from Brest on the 1st of August, 1785, and arrived 

 at Conception, in Chili, late in February, 1786. 



After a short stay here, the two frigates again put to sea, 

 and, early in April, anchored in Cook's Bay, in Easter Island. 

 Here the two commanders landed, accompanied by about seventy 

 persons, twelve of whom were marines armed to the teeth.. 

 Five hundred Indians awaited them at the shore, the greater 

 part of them naked, painted, and tattooed, others wearing 

 pendent bunches of odoriferous herbs about their loins, and. 

 others still being covered with pieces of white and yellow cloth. 

 None of them were armed, and, as the boats touched the land, 

 they advanced with the utmost alacrity to aid the strangers in 

 their disembarkation. The latter marked out a circular space, 

 where they set up a tent, and enjoined it strongly upon the 

 islanders not to intrude upon this enclosure. The number of 

 the natives had now increased to eight hundred, one hundred 

 and fifty of whom were women. While the latter would seek, 

 by caresses and agreeable pantomime, to withdraw the attention! 

 of the Frenchmen from passing events, the men would slyly 

 pick their pockets. Innumerable handkerchiefs were pilfered 

 in this way ; and the thieves, emboldened by success, at last 

 seized their caps from their heads and rushed off with them. 

 It was noticed that the chiefs were the most adroit and success- 

 ful plunderers, and that though, for appearance' sake, they 



sometimes ran after an offender, promising to bring him back } 

 33 



