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 26th we had a pretty storm, the wind being at south-east. The 27th
and 28th were fair. The 29th we were clear out of the straits, having
coasted the south shore, and this day at noon we were in 64 degrees of
latitude. The 30th in the afternoon we coasted a bank of ice which lay
on the shore, and passed by a great bank or inlet which lay between 63
and 62 degrees of latitude, which we called Lumley's Inlet. We had
oftentimes, as we sailed along the coast, great roots, the water as it
were whirling and overfalling, as if it were the fall of some great water
through a bridge. The 31st as we sailed by a headland, which we named
Warwick's Forehand, we fell into one of those overfalls with a fresh gale
of wind, and bearing all our sails, we looking upon an island of ice
between us and the shore, had thought that our barque did make no way,
which caused us to take marks on the shore. At length we perceived
ourselves to go very fast, and the island of ice which we saw before was
carried very forcibly with the set of the current faster than our ship
went. This day and night we passed by a very great gulf, the water
whirling and roaring as it were the meeting of tides.
_August_.--The 1st, having coasted a bank of ice which was driven out at
the mouth of this gulf, we fell in with the southernmost cape of the
gulf, which we named Chidlie's Cape, which lay in 6 degrees and 10
minutes of latitude. The 2nd and 3rd were calm and foggy, so were the
4th, 5th, and 6th. The 7th was fair and calm, so was the 8th, with a
little gale in the morning. The 9th was fair, and we had a little gale
at night. The 10th we had a frisking gale at west-north-west; the 11th
fair. The 12th we saw five deer on the top of an island, called by us
Darcie's Island. And we hoisted out our boat, and went ashore to them,
thinking to have killed some of them. But when we came on shore and had
coursed them twice about the island they took the sea, and swain towards
islands distant from that three leagues. When we perceived that they had
taken the sea, we gave them over, because our boat was so small that it
could not carry us and row after them, they swam so fast; but one of them
was as big as a good pretty cow, and very fat; their feet as big as
ox-feet. Here upon this island I killed with my piece a grey hare.
The 13th in the morning we saw three or four white bears, but durst not
go on shore unto them for lack of a good boat. This day we struck a rock
seeking for a harbour, and received a leak, and this day we were in 54
degrees of latitude. The 14th we stopped our leak in a storm not very
outrageous at noon.
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