JOHN LEDYARD. 271 



intercourse, but seemed strongly to intimate that 

 some Europeans were actually somewhere on the 

 spot. The appearances that led to these conjectures 

 were such as these. We found among the inhabit- 

 ants of this island two different kinds of people: 

 the one we knew to be the aborigines of America, 

 while we supposed the others to come from the 

 opposite coasts of Asia. There were two different 

 dialects also observed ; and we fpund them fond of 

 tobacco, rum, and snuff. Tobacco we even found 

 them possessed of, and we observed several blue 

 linen shirts and drawers among them. But the 

 most remarkable circumstance was a cake of rye- 

 meal newly baked, with a piece of salmon in it, 

 seasoned with pepper and salt, which was brought 

 and presented to Cook by a comely young chief, 

 attended by two of those Indians whom we sup- 

 posed to be Asiatics. The chief seemed anxious to 

 explain to Cook the meaning of the present and 

 the purport of his visit ; and he was so far success- 

 ful as to persuade him that there were some stran- 

 gers in the country who were white, and had come 

 over the great waters in a vessel somewhat like ours, 

 and, though not so large, was yet much larger than 

 theirs. 



"In consequence of this, Cook was determined 

 to explore the island. . It was difficult, however, to 



