Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 2 (Stockdale).djvu/58

44 in the garden, and pointed them out with his finger, appearing to distinguish them perfecty from their indigenous vegetables. We saw, with regret, that there remained only a small number of cabbages, a few potatoes, some radishes, cresses, wild succory, and sorrel, all in a bad condition: no doubt they would have succeeded better, had they been sown nearer a rivulet, which we observed to the west. I expected to have found some cresses at least sown on its banks; that I did not must surely have been owing to forgetfulness on the part of the gardener.

Our boat was not yet arrived. We were very desirous that these savages should have a near view of it; and we hoped, likewise, to be able to prevail on some of them to go on board with us; but they were already leaving us to rejoin their families. At our invitation, however, they deferred their departure, and we walked together along the beach toward the entrance of the harbour. Some trees, that lay on the ground along the shore, gave them an opportunity of displaying their agility to us by leaping over them. We were too much fatigued to give them an exhibition of what we were capable of doing; but I believe, savages as they were, they would have found themselves excelled by an European tolerably expert at this exercise. As