Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 1 (Stockdale).djvu/338

310 plating our ships, and had forgotten to bale the water out of the canoe.

The natives who swam towards us, in order to exchange their commodities, were considered as competitors, and soon excited the jealousy of those in the canoes which surrounded the ship. These last took great care to preserve their situation: they endeavoured to keep off the swimmers, and would not allow them to rest, by taking hold of their canoes. The swimmers, being thus obliged to move about continually, in carrying on their barter gave a great deal of activity to this singular scene of commerce.

These natives, like those whom we had seen two days before, preferred nails to knives.

Several had in their hands calabashes of different shapes, filled with lime very finely pulverized. Others had their lime in pieces of bamboo. One of these last, who had a spoon in the shape of a spatula, filled it with lime, which he showed to us, no doubt by way of recommending its qualities. By making many motions with his mouth, and greatly inflating his cheeks, he seemed desirous to persuade us, that his lime produced very agreeable sensations.

Another chief had a little parcel of the leaves of the pepper tree, piper siriboa, Linn.

They probably chew them without the addi- tion