to ask him how he got this cicatrice; and he pointed to his
lance, from which it may be inferred that they are not unaccustomed to
war, either with their neighbours or each other, and that they are
possessed of skilful surgeons. No one of this people seemed to exercise
any authority over the others. Either no chief accompanied the party who
came to us, or the term does not signify much power or distinction.

The few fruits which they brought with them were exchanged for pieces of
iron, old barrel-hoops, and glass beads; on the latter especially they
set great value, and even brought forward some of their concealed arms,
and offered them in exchange for this costly decoration. Meanwhile the
crowd of canoes round the ship grew more and more numerous, and in the
same proportion the boldness of the savages increased. Many of them rose
up in their canoes, and made long speeches to, or at us, accompanied by
angry and menacing gestures, which drew shouts of laughter from their
companions. At length the screaming and threatening with clubs and
doubled fists became general. They began to make formal preparations for
an attack, and we again had recourse to bayonets and lances to keep them
at a distance. I confess that, at this moment, I had need of some
self-command to overcome my inclination to revenge on the ferocious
rabble the fate of La Perouse's companions.

Our guns and muskets were all ready loaded. A sign from me would have
spread dismay and death around us; and had we stayed longer among this
brutal race, we must inevitably have made them feel the power of our
cannon.

We therefore spread our sails, and the ship running swiftly before the
wind, many of the canoes which had fastened themselves about her were
suddenly upset. Those who fell into the water took their ducking very
coolly, righted their canoes again, and threatened revenge on us with
the most violent gestures. Several of them clung like cats to the sides
of the ship, with nails which might have rivalled those of a Chinese
Mandarin; and we had recourse to long poles as the only means of freeing
ourselves from such undesirable appendages.

At the western promontory of the island we again lay to, and purchased
two pigs from some canoes which soon came up. The savages here in no
other respect differed from those of Massacre Bay, than by conducting
themselves in a rather more peaceable manner, probably from fear, as
their number was small.

In the evening th