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312 flight as soon as they saw us, and it was impossible to pursue them through the mire.

In the island of Pangesani I frequently traversed thick forests of the palm, known by the name of corypha umbraculifera, where I found squirrels of the species called sciurus palmarum, which always fled at the approach of a man.

The natives had erected several sheds near the shore, where they kept the bamboo hurdles, upon which they place their fish when they dry them at the fire in order to preserve them.

The islanders, aware of the danger of living near the morasses, which render the northern coast of Pangesani very unhealthy, have built no villages in that part of the country. It was in the midst of these morasses that our crew became first infected with a dysentery of a very contagious nature, which produced the greater ravages amongst us, as we were already much debilitated by the long use of bad provisions, which had become still more unwholesome during the course of our voyage. I was also infected with this disorder which proved fatal to great numbers of our crew.

8th. This morning at sun-rise, four chiefs, who bore the title of Oran-kai, came on board to notify to us, that we were not permitted to land,