Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 2 (Stockdale).djvu/292

240 attack; but after traversing several small hills, they descended towards the coast, getting farther from us to the eastward. Perhaps these cannibals were upon some expedition against their enemies. As we did not appear to be the object they were in quest of, we immediately lay down again to sleep, trusting to the vigilance of our centinels.

4th. At day-break we ascended towards the south-east, and were not long before we reached the summit of the mountain, from whence we perceived, toward the west-south-west, on the sea coast, the great opening of the canal which traverses the plain we proposed to visit.

We soon descended into a valley, nearly about the middle of which stood a delightful grove, to appearance planted by the hand of man, but it was only the goodness of the soil, moistened by the water from the neighbouring mountains, that rendered the bushes so strong and luxuriant. I then collected a great number of plants, amongst which I found a new kind of fern of the myriotheca species, the tallest of which rose to the height of twelve feet, although the stem was not more than three inches and three quarters in circumference.

On leaving the grove we perceived two natives about three hundred yards below us, going towards the plain, of which we now discovered the full