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
On this west shore we found a dead fish floating, which had in his nose a
horn, straight and torquet, of length two yards lacking two inches, being
broken in the top, where we might perceive it hollow, into which some of
our sailors putting spiders they presently died. I saw not the trial
hereof, but it was reported unto me of a truth, by the virtue whereof we
supposed it to be the sea unicorn.
After our general had found out good harbour for the ship and barques to
anchor in, and also such store of gold ore as he thought himself
satisfied withal, he returned to the _Michael_, whereof Master Yorke
aforesaid was captain, accompanied with our master and his mate, who
coasting along the west shore, not far from whence the ship rode, they
perceived a fair harbour, and willing to sound the same, at the entrance
thereof they espied two tents of seal skins, unto which the captain, our
said master, and other company resorted. At the sight of our men the
people fled into the mountains; nevertheless, they went to their tents,
where, leaving certain trifles of ours as glasses, bells, knives, and
such like things, they departed, not taking anything of theirs except one
dog. They did in like manner leave behind them a letter, pen, ink, and
paper, whereby our men whom the captain lost the year before, and in that
people's custody, might (if any of them were alive) be advertised of our
presence and being there.
On the same day, after consultation, all the gentlemen, and others
likewise that could be spared from the ship, under the conduct and
leading of Master Philpot (unto whom, in our general's absence, and his
lieutenant, Master Beast, all the rest were obedient), went ashore,
determining to see if by fair means we could either allure them to
familiarity, or otherwise take some of them, and so attain to some
knowledge of those men whom our general lost the year before.
At our coming back again to the place where their tents were before, they
had removed their tents farther into the said bay or sound, where they
might, if they were driven from the land, flee with their boats into the
sea. We, parting ourselves into two companies, and compassing a
mountain, came suddenly upon them by land, who, espying us, without any
tarrying fled to their boats, leaving the most part of their oars behind
them for haste, and rowed down the bay, where our two pinnaces met them
and drove them to shore. But if they had had all their oars, so swift
are they in rowing, it had been lost time to have chased them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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