For over an hundred years the white-winged strange spectacle. of the old world had been wafted by them ; in the messengers further south, the white man was not a stranger, but not before his sails been folded on the breast of their waters, nor the voice of trumpet and cannon reverberated through their All this was new and strange; the Great Spirit solitudes.

had

had come to them ; the signals of a mighty change passed be Their traditions repeat that almost with the

fore their vision.

appearance of Hudson in the lower bay, they began to collect on the shores and headlands, gazing in astonishment on the '

strange sight ; that when they first saw the Half Moon they " did not know what to make of it, and could not comprehend

whether it came down from heaven or from the devil." of them " even

Some

imagined it to be a fish, or some monster of the it soon spread over the

sea, and accordingly a strange report of

It was at length agreed among them "that, as this phenomenon moved towards the land, whether it was an animal

land."

or not, or any thing that had life in it," would soon be apparent.

Runners from the shore went back and forth, and messengers were sent to the chiefs of the country to send in their warriors. As the ship approached they concluded it was " a large canoe or house, in which the great Manitto himself was, and that he was probably coming to visit them." Every thing was put in order to entertain him ; " the best of victuals was prepared, and plenty of meat for sacrifice procured, and idols or images examined and put in order, to appease him in case he was Other runners soon arriving, declared it to be a angry."