The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques, and Discoveries of The English Nation — Volume 12: America, Part IHakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques, and Discoveries of The English Nation — Volume 12: America, Part I
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
Notwithstanding, our men which marched
vp into the countrey, passing ouer two or three mountaines, by chance
espied certaine tents in a valley vnderneath them neere vnto a creeke by
the Sea side, which because it was not the place where the guide had bene
the night before, they iudged them to be another company, and be setting
them about, determined to take them if they could. [Sidenote: The Sauages
haue boats of sundry bignes.] But they having quickly descried our
companie, launched one great and another smal boat, being about 16 or 18
persons, and very narrowly escaping, put themselues to sea. [Sidenote: The
Englishmen pursue those people of that countrey. The swift rowing of those
people.] Whereupon our souldiers discharged their Caliuers, and followed
them, thinking the noise therof being heard to our boats at sea, our men
there would make what speede they might to that place. [Sidenote: The
bloody point. Yorkes sound.] And thereupon indeede our men which were in
the boates (crossing vpon them in the mouth of the sound whereby their
passage was let from getting sea roome, wherein it had bene impossible for
vs to ouertake them by rowing) forced them to put themselues ashore vpon a
point of land within the sayd sound (which vpon the occasion of the
slaughter there, was since named The bloody point) whereunto our men so
speedily followed, that they had little leisure left them to make any
escape. But so soone as they landed each of them brake his Oare, thinking
by that meanes to preuent vs, in carrying away their boates for want of
Oares. [Sidenote: A hot skirmish betweene the English and them of that
countrey.] And desperately returning vpon our men, resisted them manfully
in their landing, so long as their arrowes and dartes lasted, and after
gathering vp those arrowes which our men shot at them, yea, and plucking
our arrowes out of their bodies incountred fresh againe, and maintained
their cause vntill both weapons and life fayled them. [Sidenote: The
desperate nature of those people.] And when they found they were mortally
wounded, being ignorant what mercy meaneth, with deadly fury they cast
themselues headlong from off the rockes into the sea, least perhaps their
enemies should receiue glory or prey of their dead carcaises, for they
supposed vs belike to be Canibals or eaters of mans flesh. [Sidenote: The
taking of the woman and her child.] In this conflict one of our men was
dangerously hurt in the belly with one of their arrowes, and of them were
slaine fiue or sixe, the rest by flight escaping among the rockes, sauing
two women, whereof the one being old and vgly, our men thought shee had
bene a deuill or some witch, and therefore let her goe: the other being
yong, and cumbred with a sucking childe at her backe, hiding her selfe
behind the rockes, was espied by one of our men, who supposing she had bene
a man, shot through the haire of her head, and pierced through the childs
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