On the 28th July high land was sighted, receiving the name of Queen Elizabeth’s Foreland. But the ice was floating in masses, and a huge iceberg split up close to the little craft as she drifted past. A landing was effected on an island, which was named after Christopher Hall, the master. The men brought back grass and flowers, and a piece of black stone which was destined to have a malign influence on Frobisher’s project of discovery. He sailed up a channel with land on either side, which received the name of Frobisher’s Strait, and succeeded in establishing apparently friendly traffic with the Eskimos. But the traffic ended in a catastrophe. The boat, with five men, went away and, contrary to orders, pulled out of sight of the ship to barter for skins. Neither men nor boat were ever heard of again. It was a great calamity, for there was no other boat and the men were a serious loss. Frobisher succeeded in capturing one savage, with his kayak, but this was poor consolation. On the 26th August the return voyage was commenced and by the 9th October the _Gabriel_ was once more in the Thames. Owing to the false report of the _Michael_, Frobisher and his people had been given up for lost. They had a hearty welcome and the gallant leader was well received at court. All would have proceeded satisfactorily for the resumption of the work of discovery, if it had not been for the black stone. Michael Lock got hold of it, forgetting that “all that glisters is not gold.” He took it to the Assay Master of the Tower who pronounced it to be iron pyrites. Then he went to another assayer named Wheeler, who made the same report. Next he appealed to an Italian named Aquello, who was more complaisant. He produced a little gold dust. When he was asked how he had found gold where the other assayers declared there was none, his cynical reply was “_Bisogno sap ere adulare la natura_.” Lock then spread the report that there were rich gold mines in Frobisher Strait. There was great excitement. A gold-mining company was formed called the “Cathay Company,” and a charter was granted on the 17th March, 1577. The Queen took shares to the amount of £1000, and lent one of her ships, the _Aid_ of 200 tons. She named the newly discovered land “Meta Incognita.” The subscriptions came in rather slowly, but Lock guaranteed the balance, and became Governor of the Company.