THE ST. LAWRENCE ISLANDS. 175 



men, who looked at us with I'earful friendliness, 

 without stirring. They had much resemblance to 

 the inhabitants on the western point of this island; 

 and as I perceived the fear which our arrival had 

 occasioned, I did not examine their dwellings, but 

 contented myself with putting the philological skill 

 of our interpreters to the test, which really went so 

 far that they understood each other though with 

 difficulty. We, however, learnt so much that they 

 trade with the Tschukutskoi, from whom they ob- 

 tain tobacco, iron, and glass-beads, in exchange 

 for skins. While we were conversing with them 

 a bay dare was drawn along the strand by dogs, 

 which just came from the Tschukutskoi, and the 

 people shewed us some of the things they had ob- 

 tained there. They call the inhabitants of the 

 continent of America their brethren ; and as they 

 have a constant intercourse with them, and their 

 language is also the same, there seems to be no 

 doubt that these people are of American origin. 

 The eastern part of St. Lawrence Island, on 

 which we then were, they called Kealegack, and 

 the western Tschibocka. Their first question to 

 our interpreter was, where we came from, and 

 whether our intention was to kill them ? But after 

 we had given them some glass-beads and tobacco, 

 they lost their suspicions. On my question whe- 

 ther the ice had long left their shores, I received 

 the bad news that it had only left within three 

 days. My hope, therefore, of penetrating Beering's 



