162 THE ISLAND OF NANTUCKET. 



to reach, and so called it " He Douteuse." ' The land, 

 it is probable, was the Vineyard. " 



A legend is still extant concerning the primeval dis- 

 covery of the island by the Indians, that was related to 

 the early English settlers, which may not be out of 

 place here : — 



" In former times, a great many moons ago, a bird, 

 extraordinary for its size, used often to visit the south 

 shore of Cape Cod, and carry from thence in its talons 

 a vast number of small children. Maushope, who was 

 an Indian giant, as fame reports, resided in these parts. 

 Enraged at the havoc among the children, he, on a 

 certain time, waded into the sea in pursuit of the bird, 

 till he had crossed the sound, and reached Nantucket. 

 Before Maushope forded the sound, the island was un- 

 known to the red men. Maushope found the bones of 

 the children in a heap under a large tree. He then, 

 wishing to smoke his pipe, ransacked the island for 

 tobacco; but finding none, he filled his pipe with poke, 

 — a weed which the Indians sometimes used as a sub- 

 stitute. Ever since this memorable event, fogs have 

 been frequent on the Cape. In allusion to this tradi- 

 tion, when the aborigines observed a fog rising, they 

 would say, * There comes old Maushope's smoke.' " 

 (Col. Mass. Hist. Soc, Vol. V., First Series, page 57.) 



It is to be regretted that there is so little of this tra- 

 dition; for of course the reader is anxious to know if 

 Maushope caught the bird, and if so, how or in what 

 manner he succeeded in capturing it. 



Settlement of the Island. 

 In 1041, William, Earl Sterling, and Sir Fernando or 

 Ferdinand Gorges appear to have had control of the 



