Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 2 (Stockdale).djvu/309

] the Commander in Chief of the expedition left his vessel to go on board the Esperance; he immediately directed his boat toward the shore, but the savages were entirely dispersed before he arrived there.

Before our fishermen had been interrupted by the islanders, they had caught several species of the scorpaena, amongst which was that known by the name of scorpaena digitata pricked one of our seamen so acutely in the hand, that for several hours he felt a very violent pain through his whole arm.

9th. This morning at day break we went ashore at the nearest landing place to our ship, and six of us, well armed, penetrated into the woods, advancing for a long time to the south-south-west. I found on that excursion many plants which I had not met with.

I soon observed a large bread-fruit tree, which grew near the middle of the mountain, being the second I had met with in the island. I took from it three suckers, which I planted in a box in which I had put those I had taken in the Friendly Islands. Their leaves were not so wide apart as those of the latter, perhaps they might not produce such excellent fruit. But after the care which I observed the natives take of that which I had seen in a village to the