lviii
p. 204,
p. 205.
p. 206.
p. 206
p. 207.
the nights are fixteen, feventeen, and eighteen hours long, he would advife to
pafs through the open fea.
Being now entered the great Pacific Ocean, during the month of February
and part of March, they fleered to theN. W. till on the.22d they faw at once
four little iflands bearing S. S. E. and another about four leagues weft. The four
ifles, which Monfieur Bougainville named Les quatre Facardins; the four lying
too far to windward, they flood for the little ifle a-head. As they approached it,
they difcovered that it was furrounded with a very level fand, and that all the
■interior parts, of it were covered with thick woods, above which the cocoa
nut trees railed their fertile heads. The verdure charmed their eyes, while the
cocoa nut trees every where expofed their fruits to their fight, and over-
ihadowed a grafs plat adorned with flowers; thoufands of birds were hovering
about the ihore, and feemed to announce a coaft abounding in fifh. But this
pleafing profped; was clouded by their not being able to find, on any part o f
the ifland, a fingle harbour or creek which might ferve for fhelter, or ftem the
force of the fea.
Thus lofing all hopes of landing here, unlefs at the evident rifk of having
their boats ftaved to pieces, they refumed their courfe. But juft before they
departed, they faw three men running to the fea ihore, who prefently returned
into the woods, and foon after came out again with fourteen or fifteen more.
They were naked, and bore very long pikes, which they brandifhed againft
the fhips, with figns of threatening. After this bravado, they retired to the
woods, where, by means of their glaffes, the people on board could diftinguifh
huts, and perceive that the natives were very tall, and of a bronze colour.
This ifland Motifieur Bougainville called IJle des Lanciers, the ljle o f Lance-bearers.
The next day they difcovered an ifland formed by two very narrow flips of
land, which feemed to be compofed of nothing but fandy downs, interfperfed with
low grounds, on which were neither trees nor verdure. The higher downs are
covered with cocoa nuts and other lefler trees, which were very fhady. In a
kind of lake, which the ifland forms, they faw periaguas, fome failing, others
paddling. The favages in them were naked. In the evening, they faw a great
r ® number
number of thefe iflanders along the coaft. They deemed to have the fame long
lances as the inhabitants of the. firft ifland. But as a bar, over which the fea
broke with great violence, lay along the whole coaft, and prevented the boats
from landing, they continued their courfe on the 24th, and left this inac-
ceflible ifland; which, on account of its figure, Monfieur Bougainville called
IJle de la Harpe, or Harp Ifland'.
From the 25th to the 27th they continued to fail between low and partly p. 208.
overflowed iflands, four of which they examined, all of the fame nature, and
all inacceflible. Monfieur Bougainville gave the name o f the Dangerous
Archipelago to this clufter.of iflands, of which they faw eleven, and probably
-there were more.
. Towards the end of this month they had frequent ilorms, and it rained p. 210.
continually; fo that the fcurvy made its appearance on eight or ten of thq p. 211.
crew: moiftnefs being one of the moft powerful caufes o f this difeafe. Each failor
was allovved daily a pint of lemonade, prepared with a kind of powder, called
powder of facing which they made great ufe of during the voyage. They dif-
tilled about a barrel of the fea water a day, which, thus deprived of its fait,
they employed in making broth, and in boiling meat, and legumes.; and, by
way- of fparing the freih water, they always:.kneaded their bread with'falt
water.
On the 2d o f April they perceived to the N.. N. E. a high and deep mountain, p. tII.
feemingly furrounded by the fea, which Monfieur Bougainville called the Boudoir,
or the Beak o f the Boudeufe. Standing to the northward, in order to make this p 2I2
ifland plain, they faw more land bearing W. by N. on which, to their great
joy,: they faw,. during the night, fires burning in every part, from whence they
concluded that it was inhabited.
On the 4th, as they approached this land, feveral* periaguas came off, and 2I
having prefented branches:, of bananas, as a token of friendfhip, an exchange P’
of cocoa nuts, bananas,, and other fruits of the country, for all forts of trifles
tookplace. They fpent the, 5th in plying to find anchorage; when the afpedt
* N n 2 0f P'