Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 2 (Stockdale).djvu/273

] that small fragments of a very transparent rock chrystal.

In returning to our vessel we came through a small village, the inhabitants of which left their huts unarmed. They allowed us to examine the inside of them, and one of them, without any hesitation, sold us some human bones which were hanging up over one of their tombs.

We soon after arrived on the sea coast, where we found a party of the natives who followed us, begging something to eat, but as all our provisions were consumed, I gave them some green steatite, which I had brought from the summit of one of the mountains; some of them eat as much as two pounds weight of it.

Whilst we were embarking in order to return on board, one of the crew fired his piece in the air to unload it, which struck such a panick in most of the islanders who were on the shore, that they instantly ran off to conceal themselves in the woods; but some of them, confident of our good intentions towards them, shewed no symptoms of fear, but called back the fugitive, who soon rejoined them.

On the 27th I was obliged to remain all day on board, in order to arrange and write descriptions of various articles which I had collected the day before.