Great Epochs in American History, Volume 1.: Voyages of Discovery and Early Explorations: 1000 A.D.-1682
History
Great Epochs in American History, Volume 1.: Voyages of Discovery and Early Explorations: 1000 A.D.-1682
United States -- History
This night I found the land to
hail the compasse 8 degrees. For to the northward off us we saw high
hils. For the day before we found not above 2 degrees of variation.
This is a very good land to fall with, and a pleasant land to see.
The third, the morning mystie, untill ten of the clocke; then it
cleered, and the wind came to the south south-east, so wee weighed and
stood to the northward. The land[3] is very pleasant and high, and
bold to fall withall. At three of the clock in the after-noone, wee
came to three great rivers. So we stood along to the northermost,
thinking to have gone into it, but we found it to have a very shoald
barre before it, for we had but ten foot water. Then we cast about to
the southward, and found two fathoms, three fathoms, and three and a
quarter, till we came to the souther side of them; then we had five
and sixe fathoms, and anchored.
The fourth, in the morning, as soone as the day was light, wee saw
that it was good riding farther up. So we sent out boate to sound, and
found that it was a very good harbour, and foure and five fathomes,
two cables length from the shoare. Then we weighed and went in with
our ship. Then our boate went on land[4] with our net to fish, and
caught ten great mullets, of a foote and a halfe long a peese, and a
ray as great as foure men could hale into the ship. So wee trimmed our
boate and rode still all day. At night the wind blew hard at the
north-west, and our anchor came home, and we drove on shoare, but took
no hurt, thanked bee God, for the ground is soft sand and oze. This
day the people of the countrey came aboord of us, seeming very glad of
our comming, and brought greene tobacco, and gave us of it for knives
and beads. They goe in deere skins loose, well dressed. They have
yellow copper. They desire cloathes, and are very civill. They have
great store of maize, or Indian wheate, whereof they make good bread.
The countrey is full of great and tall oake.
The fifth, in the morning, as soone as the day was light, the wind
ceased and the flood came. So we heaved off our ship againe into five
fathoms water, and sent our boate to sound the bay, and we found that
there was three fathoms hard by the souther shoare. Our men went on
land there, and saw great store of men, women, and children, who gave
them tabacco at their comming on land. So they went up into the woods,
and saw great store of very goodly oakes and some currants. For one of
them came aboord and brought some dryed, and gave me some, which were
sweet and good. This day many of the people came aboard, some in
mantles of feathers, and some in skinnes of divers sorts of good
furres. Some women also came to us with hempe. They had red copper
tabacco pipes, and other things of copper they did weare about their
neckes. At night they went on land againe, so wee rode very quiet, but
durst not trust them.
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