Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 2 (Stockdale).djvu/283

] they made use of them to cut wood, hacked off a branch of the melaleuca latifolia, about four inches thick.

It was not till after a number of strokes, that he was able to make a slight notch in it, then he broke it by forcibly bending down the end of it; they all shewed the greatest surprize at seeing us cut down in a short time, with a military axe, some of the largest trees in the forest.

We had just reached the summit of one of the highest of those mountains, when one of our people made signs to the savages that he wished to have some water to drink. Immediately two of them offered to go and fetch some from a hollow that appeared to be above half a mile distant. They set off, and we soon lost sight of them. As they were a long time before they returned, we were afraid they had gone away with the bottles we had entrusted them with, but at last they returned, and appeared pleased that they had it in their power to offer us some very pure water to quench our thirst.

After this we descended towards the south-east and crossed a fine valley, where I made a copious collection of plants, among which were the acrostichum australe, and several new species of limodorum.