The Boy's Hakluyt: English Voyages of Adventure and DiscoveryHakluyt, Richard
History
The Boy's Hakluyt: English Voyages of Adventure and Discovery
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English -- Juvenile literature; Voyages and travels -- Juvenile literature
That day, the twentieth of July, the ships “stroke over” from the
northern shore toward the southern, and the next day a bay was
discovered running into the land, which seemed a likely harbour for
them. Thither Frobisher, again taking the goldfiners, rowed, to “make
proofe thereof,” and at the same time to search for ore on this side,
having as yet assayed nothing on the south shore. The sands and cliffs
of the islands here visited “did so glister” in the sun and had so
“bright a marquesite,” that “it seemed all to be gold.” But, unhappily,
upon trial it “prooved no better then [than] black-lead.” Thus, as the
philosophic Settle observed, and Best echoed, was verified the “old
proverb, All is not gold that glistereth.” On one island, indeed, a mine
of silver was struck, but the stuff was not to be “wonne [won] out of
the rockes without great labour.” On another, in lieu of precious metal,
was discovered, “embayed in yce” a carcass of a great “sea unicorn,” or
morse, with a “horne of two yardes long growing out of the snout,” "like
in fashion to a Taper made of waxe." And this unicorn’s horn was the
sole trophy of the prospecting on this side. It was long afterward to be
seen in England, being “reserved as a Jewel by the Queenes Majesties
commandement in her wardrobe of Robes.” The harbour, however, appeared
satisfactory, and on the next day the ships bore into the sound and came
to anchor. This sound they named “Jackman’s Sound,” after the mate of
the “Ayde.”
The ships now being in fair “securitie” another formal entry into the
country was made and a thanksgiving ceremony performed. Best’s relation
is Settle’s account enlarged: “Tuesday the three and twentieth of July
our Generall with his best company of gentlemen, souldiers and saylers,
to the number of seventie persons in all, marched with ensigne displyede
up the continent of the Southerland (the supposed continent of America),
where, commanding a Trumpet to sound a call for every man to repaire to
the ensigne, he declared to the whole companie how much the cause
imported for the service of her Majestie; our countrey, our credit, and
the safetie of our owne lives, and therefore required every man to be
conformable to order, and to be directed by those he should assigne. And
he appointed for leaders, Captaine Fenton, Captaine Yorke, and his
Lieutenant George Beste: which done, we cast our selves into a ring, and
altogither on our knees, gave God humble thanks for that he had pleased
him of his great goodnesse to preserve us from such imminent dangers,
beseeching likewise the assistance of his holy spirite, so to deliver us
in safetie unto our Countrey, whereby the light and truth of these
secrets being knowen, it might redound to the more honour of his holy
name, and consequently to the advancement of our common wealth. And so,
in as good sort as the place suffered, we marched towards the tops of
the mountains [as stated by Settle, now and then heaping up stones on
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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