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: Land in 66 degrees 40 min.] The sixt of August we discouered
land in 66 degrees 40 minuts of latitude, altogether void from the pester
of ice: we ankered in a very faire rode vnder a braue mount, the cliffes
whereof were as orient as golde. This Mount was named Mount Raleigh. The
rode where our ships lay at anker was called Totnes rode. The sound which
did compasse the mount was named Exeter sound. The foreland towards the
North was called Diers cape. The foreland towards the South was named Cape
Walsingham. [Sidenote: Foure white beares.] So soone as we were come to an
anker in Totnes rode vnder Mount Raleigh, we espied foure white beares at
the foot of the mount: we supposing them to be goats or wolues, manned our
boats and went towards them: but when we came neere the shore, we found
them to be white beares of a monstrous bignesse: we being desirous of fresh
victuall and the sport, began to assault them, and I being on land, one of
them came downe the hill right against me: my piece was charged with
hailshot and a bullet: I discharged my piece and shot him in the necke; he
roared a litle, and tooke the water straight, making small account of his
hurt. Then we followed him with our boat, and killed him with
boare-speares, and two more that night. We found nothing in their mawes:
but we iudged by their dung that they fed vpon grasse, because it appeared
in all respects like the dung of an horse, wherein we might very plainly
see the very strawes.
The 7 we went on shore to another beare which lay all night vpon the top of
an Island vnder Mount Raleigh, and when we came vp to him he lay fast
asleep. [Sidenote: A large white beare.] I leuelled at his head, and the
stone of my piece gaue no fire: with that he looked vp, and layed downe his
head againe: then I shot being charged with two bullets, and strooke him in
the head: he being but amazed fell backwards: wherevpon we ran all vpon him
with boare-speares, and thrust him in the body: yet for that he gript away
our boare-speares, and went towards the water; and as he was going downe,
he came backe againe. Then our Master shot his boare-spear, and strooke him
in the head, and made him to take the water, and swimme into a coue fast
by, where we killed him, and brought him aboord. The breadth of his
forefoot from one side to the other was fourteene inches ouer. They were
very fat, so as we were constrained to cast the fat away. We saw a rauen
vpon Mount Raleigh. We found withies also growing like low shrubs and
flowers like Primroses in the sayd place. The coast is very mountainous,
altogether without wood, grasse, or earth, and is onely huge mountaines of
stone; but the brauest stone that euer we saw. The aire was very moderate
in this countrey.
The 8 we departed from Mount Raleigh, coasting along the shoare, which
lieth Southsouthwest, and Eastnortheast.
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