Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 2 (Stockdale).djvu/330

274 by the waves, amused us for some seconds. Our musician wanted to entertain those islanders with some tunes on the violin, but just as he was tuning his instrument, they went off towards the Esperance.

Soon after five other canoes came alongside our vessel, testifying the greatest confidence in us. The natives by which they were manned were certainly acquainted with the use of iron, for they expressed great joy upon receiving some nails which we offered them. We could not learn whether these people are used to barter their commodities: at least we were not able to obtain any thing from them by this mode of traffic, although they had javelins, tomahawks, bows and arrows. They were, however, very willing to accept of any thing that we offered them by way of present, and made us very obliging proposals if we would land upon their coasts; whilst, with their natural gaiety of manner, they frequently repeated the word sousou (the bosom), accompanying their discourse with very significant gestures, which produced great merriment among our sailors.

At sun-set the savages returned on shore and kindled three large fires.

29th. The currents had carried us during the night into a large channel which runs along this