Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 2 (Stockdale).djvu/235

] the crowing of the cock tolerably well, so as to leave us no doubt that they had fowls on their island.

None of the women in the canoes consented to come on board our vessel; and when we were desirous of making them a present of any thing, the men took it to carry to them.

These savages came in double canoes of the shape represented in Plate XLV. Fig. 1. Their mast was fixed at an equal distance from the two canoes, and toward the fore part of the platform, by which they were joined together. They are not so skilfully constructed as those of the Friendly Islands, to which they are much inferior in point of sailing. One of them, running against our ship with too much force, received so much damage, that the canoe on one side soon filled. The savages in her immediately got upon the other, and let themselves go with the current, which drifted them toward the shore. The other canoes left us presently after, and sailed after her, in order to give her assistance.

21st. Early in the morning we manned the capstan, in order to warp our ship nearer to Observatory Island; for which purpose we had carried out several hawsers tied end to end; but they gave way several times, and obliged us to let go the anchor again.