Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 2 (Stockdale).djvu/128

100 each of these articles in his left hand, and touched the left side of his forehead with it.

Towards sun-set we requested him to send out of the ship all the natives, the crowd of whom was become immense. We were desirous that not one should remain, as we did not wish to have the trouble of watching them during the night: but perhaps his authority did not extend to them all; for, after he had driven away the greatest part only, he left us, and returned towards the western shore of Tongataboo.

The step he took to rid our ship of these islanders, by whom we were incommoded to an excessive degree, could not easily be guessed. He drove them out with his club, which he handled so vigorously, that they had no way to escape the rude blows of this weapon, but by leaping into the sea.

Almost all their clubs are made with the wood of the casuarina, which is extremely hard; yet we saw a few of bone, somewhat more than a yard long. As these islanders have no quadruped capable of furnishing a bone of such length, there can be no doubt but it must belong to some large animal of the whale genus.

Beside many fowls, they sold us pigeons of the species called columba aenea (nutmeg pigeon), bread-fruit, cocoa-nuts, yams, and several varieties of plaintain, of a delicious flavour.