Voyages in Search of The North-West Passage

general for the discovery of a passage to the Isles of the Molucca, or the coast of China,

ood fresh gale. About three hours after our departure, the night being somewhat thick with darkness, we had lost the pinnace. The captain, imagining that the men had run away with her, willed the master of the Sunshine to stand to seawards and see if we could descry them, we bearing in with the shore for Plymouth. At length we descried

And after we had heaved them a lead and a line, whereunto we had made fast our letters, before they could get them into the ship they fell into the sea, and so all our labour and theirs also was lost; notwithstanding, they promised to certify our departure at London, and so we departed, and t

lizabeth towed the pinnace, which was so much bragged of by the owner's report before we came out of England, b

answered that she was as sound and staunch as a cup. This made us so

weather; after that for five days we

ste; the master would not depart till he had the company of the Elizabeth, whereupon the master told our captain that he was afraid his men would shape some contrary cou

we had fo

ns, the tops of the hills being covered with snow. Here the wind was variable, sometimes north-east, e

ad reasonably

in the afternoon. The people came presently to us, after the o

that Peerson framed at Dartmouth, with

carpenters of the ships

lt kerned on the rocks, very white and glistering. This day, also, the maste

e owner's profit, thought belike he would save a saker's shot, doubting we should have occasion to fight with men-of-war, and so shot off the saker without a bullet, we looking still when the savages that were hurt should run away without legs; at length we could perceive never a man hurt, but all having their legs, could carry away their bodies. We had no sooner shot off the piece but the master of the Sunshine manned his boat, and came rowing towards the island, the very sight of whom made each of them take that he had gotten, and fly away as fast as they could to another island about two miles off, where they took the nails out of the timber, and left the wood on the isle. When we came on shore, and saw how they had spoiled the boat, after much debating of the matter, we agreed that the Elizab

in 64 degrees of latitude, our ships being now all at sea, and we shaping our course to go coasting the land to the northwards, upon the eastern sho

3rd we had clo

ls, 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

ils, 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 fe

oudy, the wind

ir, with th

9th were foggy

ation 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 starbo

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

and putting off from it we sought to

was the 5th; also wi

ice, seeing the sea free on the west side, as we thought, which falling o

's help we recovered the open sea, the weat

we coaste

was foggy

had always shining upon it, would make a quick despatch, that we might have a further search upon the western shore. Now when we were come to the eastern coast, the water something deep, and some of our company fearful withal, we durst not come to an anchor, but bore off into sea again. The poor people, seeing us go away aga

e first year. The 20th we traversed in the mouth of the strait, the wind being at west with fair and clear weather. The 21st and 22nd we coasted the northern coast of the straits. The 23rd, having sailed 60 leagues north-west into the straits at two o'clock afternoon, we anchored among many isles in the bottom of the gulf, naming the same the Earl of Cumberland's Isles, where, riding at anchor, a whale passed by our ship an

lled 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

he 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

k of a good boat. This day we struck a rock seeking for a harbour, and received a leak, and this day

shaped our course homeward for England, having in our ship but little wood, and half a hogshead of fresh water. Our men were very willing to depart, and no man more forward than Peerson, for he feared to be put out of his office of stewardship; he was so insatiate that the allowance of two men was scant sufficient to fill his greedy appetite; but because every man was so willing

dge it was a Biscayan; we thought she went a-fishing for

air with a goo

but with much wind a

inds, we arrived the 15th of September in Dartmouth,

, written to Master Sanderson of Londo

rmination at my departure. I have been in 73 degrees, finding the sea all open, and 40 leagues between laud and land; the passage is most certain, the e

Anno 1587. Yours equal as mine own,

N D

nd