Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 1 (Stockdale).djvu/387

] when, to every thing we asked for, we received no other answer than tarda? for thus the mistress of this little habitation signified, that she could not furnish us with any of the articles which we desired. Yet we took great pains to assure her, that we would pay her exactly for every thing she gave us. We were the more surprised at this pretended poverty, as the appearance of the natives announced abundance. In the sequel I learned, that those peaceable people have not always reason to be satisfied with the conduct of the Europeans, who govern their island. They thought their safest way was, not to trust to our promises. A few glasses of arrack, however, and some trifling matters which we distributed among them, at last gained us their confidence.

They invited us to sit down under a shed formed by an elongation of the roof of the cabin. Crabs caught in the little river were set before us in abundance. They roasted for us potatoes and yams, and regaled us with the wine of the sago-palm, slightly fermented. This liquor, which, when newly drawn from the tree, is called sagour monda, and aer soguero monda, is much more agreeable than the milk of the cocoa-nut. The girl who was preparing our repast, to a figure and appearance extremely pleasing, joined an air of sincerity which gave charms to the interest which she