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
For the bark _Dionyse_, which was lost, had in her much of their house,
which was prepared and should have been builded for them, with many other
implements. Also the _Thomas of Ipswich_, which had most of their
provision in her, came not into the straits at all, neither did we see
her since the day we were separated in the great snow (of which I spake
before). For these causes, having not their house nor yet provision,
they were disappointed of their pretence to tarry, and therefore laded
their ships and so came away with us.
But before we took shipping, we builded a little house in the Countess of
Warwick's Island, and garnished it with many kinds of trifles, as pins,
points, laces, glasses, combs, babes on horseback and on foot, with
innumerable other such fancies and toys, thereby to allure and entice the
people to some familiarity against other years.
Thus having finished all things we departed the country (as I said
before); but because the _Busse_ had not lading enough in her, she put
into Bear's Sound to take a little more. In the meanwhile, the
_Admiral_, and the rest without the sea, stayed for her. And that night
fell such an outrageous tempest, beating on our ships with such vehement
rigour that anchor and cable availed nought, for we were driven on rocks
and islands of ice, insomuch that had not the great goodness of God been
miraculously showed to us, we had been cast away every man. This danger
was more doubtful and terrible than any that preceded or went before, for
there was not any one ship (I think) that escaped without damage. Some
lost anchor, and also gables, some boats, some pinnaces, some anchor,
gables, boats, and pinnaces.
This boisterous storm so severed us one from another, that one ship knew
not what was become of another. The _Admiral_ knew not where to find the
_Vice-Admiral_ or _Rear-Admiral_, or any other ship of our company. Our
general, being on land in Bear's Sound, could not come to his ship, but
was compelled to go aboard the _Gabriel_, where he continued all the way
homewards, for the boisterous blasts continued so extremely, and so long
a time, that it sent us homeward (which was God's favour towards us),
will we, nill we, in such haste, as not any one of us were able to keep
in company of other, but were separated. And if by chance any one ship
did overtake other by swiftness of sail, or met (as they often did), yet
was the rigour of the wind so hideous, that they could not continue
company together the space of one whole night.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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