From the book, “The Light and the Glory”, by David Emanuel and Peter Marshall, an account of the first encounter the Pilgrims had with Samoset.
Captain Standish shook his head, even as he went to look out the window, to see a tall, well-built Indian, wearing nothing but a leather loincloth striding up their mains street. He was headed straight for the common house, and the men inside hurried to the door, before he walked right in on them. He stopped and stood motionless looking at them, as though sculpted in marble. Only the March wind broke the silence.
“Welcome!” he suddenly boomed, in a deep, resonant voice.
The Pilgrims were too startled to speak. At length, they replied with as much gravity as they could muster, “Welcome.”
Their visitor fixed them with a piercing stare. “Have you got any beer?” he asked them in flawless English. If they were surprised before, they were astounded now.
“Beer?” one of them managed.
The Indian nodded.
The Pilgrims looked at one another, then turned back to him. “Our beer is gone. Would you like some brandy?”
Again the Indian nodded.
They brought him some brandy, and a biscuit with butter and cheese, and then some pudding and a piece of roast duck. To their continuing amazement, he ate with evident relish everything set before him. Where had he developed such an appetite for English food? How, in fact, had he come to speak English? For that matter, who was he, and what was he doing here?