gratify them. It was found impossible to land on it, or to
obtain the advantages which it seemed to hold out to their hopes.
Bougainville bestowed on it the name of _Isle des Lanciers_, from the
circumstance of his noticing about fifteen or twenty of its inhabitants
carrying very long pikes, as in the act of brandishing them against the
ship, with signs of threatening. After this idle display of courage,
they were seen to retire to the woods, where it was possible to
distinguish their huts by means of glasses. The men are represented as
being tall, and of a bronze colour, and destitute of clothing.

In the night of the 22d, a storm came on attended with thunder and rain,
which obliged Bougainville to bring to, for fear of running against some
of the lowlands in this sea. At day-break on the following day, land was
seen bearing from N.E. by N. to N.N.W., which he stood for; at eight
o'clock, he got about three leagues from its eastermost point; but then
perceiving that there were breakers all along the opposite coast, which
seemed low and covered with trees, he stood out to sea again, waiting
for fairer weather to permit a nearer approach. This was done towards
ten o'clock, when the island was not more than a league off. Similar
difficulties, however, were experienced here, as at the former island;
and after several fruitless attempts to find anchorage for the ships, or
a landing-place for the boats, it was necessary to abandon it, which was
done with similar feelings of chagrin on the morning of the 24th. This
island was denominated Harp Island, from its figure, and had inhabitants
much resembling those of the one which had been previously discovered.
At five in the afternoon of this day, an island was discovered about
seven or eight leagues distant; another, in the morning of the 25th,
extending S.E. and N.W.; and the course was continued till the 27th,
between several low and partly overflowed islands, four of which were
examined and found quite inaccessible, or undeserving of being visited.
To the whole cluster, Bougainville gave the name of _Dangerous
Archipelago_, by which they have been generally known since his day, and
which sufficiently indicates the nature of the navigation around them.

He now shaped his course more southerly, in order to avoid a situation
which presented him with so many difficulties, and yielded so few
comforts; and on the 28th, he ceased to see land. About this time, it is
noted, the scur