Voyages in Search of the North-West PassageHakluyt, Richard
History
Voyages in Search of the North-West Passage
Hakluyt, Richard
Arctic regions -- Discovery and exploration; Northwest Passage; Voyages and travels
The 24th, being in 67 degrees and 40 minutes, we had great store of
whales, and a kind of sea-birds which the mariners call cortinous. This
day, about six of the clock at night, we espied two of the country people
at sea, thinking at the first they had been two great seals, until we saw
their oars, glistering with the sun. They came rowing towards us as fast
as they could, and when they came within hearing they held up their oars
and cried "Il y a oute," making many signs, and at last they came to us,
giving us birds for bracelets, and of them I had a dart with a bone in
it, or a piece of unicorn's horn, as I did judge. This dart he made
store of, but when he saw a knife he let it go, being more desirous of
the knife than of his dart. These people continued rowing after our ship
the space of three hours.
The 25th, in the morning, at seven of the clock, we descried thirty
savages rowing after us, being by judgment ten leagues off from the
shore. They brought us salmon peels, birds, and caplin, and we gave them
pins, needles, bracelets, nails, knives, bells, looking-glasses, and
other small trifles; and for a knife, a nail, or a bracelet, which they
call ponigmah, they would sell their boat, coats, or anything they had,
although they were far from the shore. We had but few skins of them,
about twenty; but they made signs to us that if we would go to the shore,
we should have more store of chicsanege. They stayed with us till eleven
of the clock, at which time we went to prayer, and they departed from us.
The 26th was cloudy, the wind being at south.
The 27th fair, with the same wind.
The 28th and 29th were foggy, with clouds.
The 30th day we took the height, and found ourselves in 72 degrees and 12
minutes of latitude, both at noon and at night, the sun being five
degrees above the horizon. At midnight the compass set to the variation
of 28 degrees to the westward. Now having coasted the land which we
called London Coast from the 21st of this present till the 30th, the sea
open all to the westwards and northwards, the land on starboard side east
from us, the wind shifted to the north, whereupon we left that shore,
naming the same Hope Sanderson, and shaped our course west, and ran forty
leagues and better without the sight of any land.
_July_.--The 2nd we fell in with a mighty bank of ice west from us, lying
north and south, which bank we would gladly have doubled out to the
northwards, but the wind would not suffer us, so that we were fain to
coast it to the southwards, hoping to double it out that we might have
run so far west till we had found land, or else to have been thoroughly
resolved of our pretended purpose.
The 3rd we fell in with the ice again, and putting off from it we sought
to the northwards, but the wind crossed us.
The 4th was foggy, so was the 5th; also with much wind at north.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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