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
[Sidenote: The aduentures of Captain Fenton and his companie.] But to
returne againe to Captaine Fentons company, and to speake somewhat of their
dangers (albeit they be more then by writing can be expressed) they
reported that from the night of the first storme which was about the first
day of Iuly vntill seuen dayes before the Generals arriuall, which was the
sixe and twentith of the same, they neuer saw any one day or houre, wherin
they were not troubled with continuall danger and feare of death, and were
twentie dayes almost togither fast amongst the yce. They had their ship
stricken through and through on both sides, their false stemme borne quite
away, and could goe from their ships in some places vpon the yce very many
miles, and might easily haue passed from one Iland of yce to another euen
to the shore, [Sidenote: Extremitie causeth men to deuise new arts and
remedies.] and if God had not wonderfully prouided for them and their
necessitie, and time had not made them more cunning and wise to seeke
strange remedies for strange kindes of dangers, it had bene impossible for
them euer to haue escaped: for among other deuises, wheresoeuer they found
any Iland of yce of greater bignesse then the rest (as there be some of
more then halfe a mile compasse about, and almost forty fadome high) they
commonly coueted to recouer the same, and thereof to make a bulwarke for
their defence, whereon hauing mored anker, they road vnder the lee therof
for a time, being therby garded from the danger of the lesser driuing yce.
[Sidenote: Hard shifts.] But when they must needes forgoe this new found
fort by meanes of other yce, which at length would vndermine and compasse
them round about, and when that by heauing of the billow they were
therewith like to be brused in peeces, they vsed to make fast the shippe
vnto the most firme and broad peece of yce they could find, and binding her
nose fast thereunto, would fill all their sayles whereon the winde hauing
great power, would force forward the ship, and so the shippe bearing before
her the yce, and so one yce driuing forward another, should at length get
scope and searoome. And hauing by this meanes at length put their enemies
to flight, they occupyed the cleare place for a prettie season among sundry
mountaines and Alpes of yce. One there was found by measure to be 65 fadome
aboue water, which for a kind of similitude, was called Solomons porch.
Some thinke those Ilands eight times so much vnder water as they are aboue,
because of their monstrous weight. [Sidenote: Strange wonders.] But now I
remember I saw very strange wonders, men walking, running, leaping and
shooting vpon the mayne seas 40. myles from any land, without any Shippe or
other vessel vnder them. Also I saw fresh Riuers running amidst the salt
Sea a hundred myle from land, which if any man will not belieue let him
know that many of our company leapt out of their Shippe vpon Ilandes of
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