The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 04Hakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 04
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
[Sidenote: An Island to the East of Vaigatz 4. or 5. leagues] This Island
is to the Eastwards of Vaigatz 4 or 5. leagues. This land of the maine doth
trend Southeast, and Southeast by East. It is a very faire coast, and euen
and plaine, and not full of mountaines nor rocks: you haue but shallow
water of 6. or 7. fadoms, about a league from the shore, all this morning
we hailed East southeast This day we found the pole to be eleuated 69.
degrees 14. minutes. About 12 a clocke we were constrained to put into the
ice to seeke some way to get to the Northwards of it, hoping to haue some
cleare passage that way, but there was nothing but whole ice. About nine in
the afternoone we had sight of the William, and when wee sawe her, there
was a great land of ice betweene her and vs, so that we could not come one
to the other, but as we came neere to her, we sounded our trumpet and shot
off two muskets, and she put out her flag vpon her foretopmaste in token
that she did see vs: all this time wee did shorten our sailes, and went
with our foresaile and mainetopsaile, seeking the best way through the
broken ice, she making away the best that she could to follow vs, we put
out our flagge to answere her again with the like: thus we continued all
the aftemoone till about 12. a clocke at night, and then we moored our ship
to a piece of ice to tarie for the William.
[Sidenote: The Willaim and the George meete againe.] The 25. day about fiue
in the morning, the William came to vs, being both glad of our meeting. The
William had her sterne post broken, that the rudder did hang clean besides
the sterne, so that she could in no wise port her helme, with all hands she
did lighten her sterne and trimme her head, and when we had brought her
forward all that we could, wee brought a cable vnder her sterne, and with
our capstaine did wind vp her sterne, and so we made it as wel as the place
would giue vs leaue, and in the ende wee brought her to steere againe. Wee
acknowledge this our meeting to be a great benefits of God for our mutuall
comfort and so gaue his Maiestie thanks for it. All the night after we
tooke our rest being made fast vpon a piece of ice: the wind was at the
West Northwest, but we were so inclosed with ice that we coulde not tell
which way to passe. Windes wee haue had at will, but ice and fogge too much
against our willes, if it had pleased the Lod God otherwise.
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