Here the Eskimos received them cordially "after they had espied in the boate, some of our companie that were the yeere before heere with us, they presently rowed to the boate, and tooke holde on the oare, and hung about the boate with such comfortable joy as woulde require a long discourse to be uttered: they came with the boates to our shippes, making signes that they knewe all those that the yere before had bene with them. After I perceived their joy, and smal feare of us, my selfe with the merchaunts, and others of the company went a shoare, bearing with me twentie knives: I had no sooner landed, but they lept out of their Canoas, and came running to mee and the rest, and imbraced us with many signes of hartie welcome: at this present there were eighteene of them, and to each of them I gave a knife: they offered skinnes to mee for rewarde, but I made signes that it was not solde, but given them of curtesie: and so dismissed them for that time, with signes that they shoulde returne againe after certaine houres." But soon there were passing troubles owing to iron having so great an attraction for them that they could not resist stealing it. While amongst them, exploring the country, Davis compiled the first Eskimo vocabulary known, a list of some forty words written down phonetically, most of them remarkably good approaches considering that both parties were ignorant of each other's language, none of them, however, except that for "sea" being likely to be of any use in putting him on the road to China. On leaving Gilbert Sound, Davis when in latitude 63° 8´ "fel upon a most mighty and strange quantity of ice, in one intyre masse, so bigge as that we knew not the limits thereof, and being withall so very high, in forme of a land, with bayes and capes, and like high cliffe land, as that we supposed it to be land, and therefore sent our pinnesse off to discover it: but at her returne we were certainely informed that it was onely ice, which bred great admiration to us all, considering the huge quantity thereof, incredible to be reported in truth as it was, and therefore I omit to speake any further thereof. This onely, I thinke that the like before was never seene, and in this place we had very stickle and strong currants. We coasted this mighty masse of ice untill the 30 of July, finding it a mighty bar to our purpose: the ayre in this time was so contagious, and the sea so pestered with ice, as that all hope was banished of proceeding: for the 24 of July all our shrowds, ropes, and sailes were so frozen, and compassed with ice, onely by a grosse fogge, as seemed to me more then strange, sith the last yeere I found this sea free and navigable, without impediments."