222 FROM THE ST. LAWRENCE ISLANDS 



was on board. When 1 answered their question 

 in the affirmative, and presented myself as such, 

 all fear vanished ; they fastened their canoes to the 

 Rurick, and hastily climbed on deck. Lamary, 

 who had lately visited this group, had told them 

 of the Rurick, and must have given them a favour- 

 able account of us, as they approached us with 

 such assurance ; and this unsuspicious confidence 

 gave us much pleasure. The natives of Ligiep 

 are tall, robust, and handsome men, by which they 

 are advantageously distinguished from the other 

 Radackers. Kadu had previously told me that 

 they lived principally on fish ; and this may, per- 

 haps, be the reason of their stronger make. Our 

 guests had, as it appeared, put on their finest 

 clothes. Their dresses were entirely new, their hair 

 smeared over w^th cocoa-oil, and tastefully tied up, 

 adorned with shell-wreaths and feathers ; in their 

 ears they wore large rolls of tortoise-shell, an or- 

 nament which I did not see frequently in Otdia. 

 Upon the whole, they seemed better off, and more 

 lively than the natives of that group. Their first 

 care on coming on board was to make us presents. 

 A Tamon, very much tattooed, laid cocoa-nuts at 

 my feet, and put his shell-wreath on my head j the 

 others did the same with our gentlemen, and we 

 soon had not guests, but intimate friends, on board, 

 who were quite at home. They ran about with 

 looks of curiosity, admired every thing, and like- 

 wise felt themselves most attracted by the iron : 



15 



