The Eskimos were in a very dangerous mood. Five had been kidnapped with their kayaks by the Danes when Hall was with them, and one had been killed. The relations, who recognised Hall, were sullen and revengeful. The poor captives had tried to return in their kayaks, had even put to sea in them to cross the ocean, but were followed and brought back. They were overwhelmed with grief. One wept whenever he saw a mother with her child, reminding him of his own wife and child. They all soon died of home sickness. As they never returned, their friends sought for opportunities for vengeance. They had already killed one sailor, when on the 22nd July Hall came to land in his boat where there was a party of Eskimos. One of them came within four yards and shot a dart at Hall, hitting him in the right side. The wound was mortal and he died the next day. On his death Andrew Barker succeeded him as Commander of the expedition, and Huntriss was appointed Captain of the _Heartsease_. Baffin had been most diligent with his observations. Like Davis he paid special attention to terrestrial magnetism, taking frequent observations for variation, and his latitudes were fairly accurate. He was also constantly thinking out the means of finding the longitude. One attempt by moon’s culmination was ingenious, and shows his mastery of the subject and inventive faculty. Mr Coles[67] says, “It is most surprising that Baffin should have obtained even such an approximation as he did, and his method of observing with two plumb lines is both original and ingenious.” Baffin, in the portion of his narrative that has been preserved, gives a description of the country and of the animals he saw. He describes the Eskimo _kayak_ and _umiak_, and in his walks on shore and climbs up the mountain sides he notices several plants. He mentions the dwarf birch and willow four feet high, the crowberry (_Empetrum nigrum_), the angelica, sorrel, scurvy grass, orpine, and a yellow-flowered stone-crop. The _Patience_ and _Heartsease_ put to sea on their return voyage on the 4th August, and beat up against a foul wind. Baffin was now on board the _Heartsease_, which parted company with the _Patience_ in a gale on September 4th. On the 15th she arrived in Yarmouth Roads and Captain Huntriss took her on to the Thames, entering the river on the 19th. He caused the flag to be hoisted half mast, in token of the death of his beloved Commander James Hall, and the ship was brought up to St Katherine’s Pool. On September 17th, 1612, Barker brought the _Patience_ into Hull Roads[68]. William Baffin, under the auspices of Sir Thomas Smith, then entered the service of the Muscovy Company and made two voyages to Spitsbergen[69]. CHAPTER XIV EARLY SPITSBERGEN VOYAGES