Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 2 (Stockdale).djvu/250

202 sternation was instantly visible in all their features; doubtless because they thought that we also were men-eaters, and, imagining that their last hour was come, they began to weep. We did not succeed in convincing them entirely of their mistake, by all the signs we could make of our abhorrence of so terrible a practice. One of them made a precipitate retreat through a port-hole, and held fast by one of the ropes of the mizen mast shrouds, ready to leap into the sea; the other jumped into the water at once, and swam to the most distant of the boats astern of our vessel; they were not long, however, before they recovered from their fear, and rejoined our company.

The small stream, where Captain Cook had taken in water when he touched at this place, was dry when we visited it: we found, however, a small watering place to the south-west of our vessel, about three hundred paces distant from the sea: the water was very good, but it was rather difficult to be come at, and the reservoir which furnished it scarcely supplied enough to fill once in a day casks sufficient to load the long-boat of each ship, so that it was necessary to wait till next day till more was collected to replenish them.

We found very near this watering place the