Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 2 (Stockdale).djvu/177

] sibly they were obtained from those which Cook left on the island; but she would not satisfy our curiosity on this head.

The King had ordered his subjects to bring the presents which he intended for the General; and ever since half after ten we had seen many arrive at intervals, each of them carrying on his shoulder a bamboo two yards long, at the ends of which hung small fishes of the scarus and chætodon genera, most of them ready dressed, and wrapped in cocoa-leaves; others brought bread-fruit, yams, &c.; and presently, by laying their bamboos across each other, they raised two portions of triangular pyramids, one of them two yards high, the other one yard only. The raw fish already began to stink very much.

About one o'clock in the afternoon Toobou went away, without saying a word to any person. We then left the assembly, and were accompanied to the place where we landed by Feenou and Omalaï, who ordered a whole hog just dressed, some fish, yams, and bread-fruit, to be brought us, and invited us to sit down to our repast; but their hog not being half ready, for such is their usual mode of cookery, we preferred going on board to dinner.

They then requested us to accept these different articles of provision, which they ordered