Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 2 (Stockdale).djvu/358

300 the nose bored. Several of them shewed us their dexterity in shooting with the bow at a mark placed at the distance of more than forty paces; and their arrows always came very near their aim. Others were armed with very long lances, pointed with iron or bone. These islanders undoubtedly know how to forge the iron, as they set great value upon some bars of this metal, which we gave them. Tin was likewise in great request with them. But of all our commodities they gave a decided preference to cloth, particularly such as was of a red colour.

The island Waygiou, called by the inhabitants Ouarido, is covered with large trees, and throughout mountainous, even at a very small distance from the coast. The huts were built of bamboo, raised upon stakes, about three yards above the ground, and covered with reeds.

It is remarkable, that as soon as we had landed, those of our crew who were the least affected with the scurvy, or even shewed no symptoms at all of that disorder, became affected with a considerable degree of swelling all over the body: but this symptom, which had very much alarmed some of us, disappeared entirely after walking three or four hours.

During our stay in this island I made very frequent excursions into the forests, where I collec-