Having Prosperous Weather, We Reached Newfoundland On The 10th Of
May, Making Cape Bonavista, In Lat.
48 deg.
30' N[25]. Owing to the great
quantities of ice on the coast, we were obliged to go into port St
Catherine [26], which is about five leagues S.S.E. from the harbour of
Cape Bonavista, in which we remained ten days waiting fair weather, and
employed ourselves in repairing and fitting out our boats.
[Footnote 25: In our most recent maps Cape Bonavista is laid down in
lat. 48 deg. 58' N. - E.]
[Footnote 26: Named in English charts Catalina Harbour, in lat. 48 deg. 44'
N. - E.]
On the 21st of May we set sail with the wind at west, steering N. and by
E. from Cape Bonavista till we came to the Isle of Birds, which we found
environed by ice, but broken and cracked in many places. Notwithstanding
the ice, our two boats went to the island to take in some birds, which
are there in such incredible numbers that no one would believe unless he
had seen them. The island is only a league in circuit, and so swarms
with birds as if they had been strewed on purpose; yet an hundred times
as many are to be seen hovering all around. Some of these are black and
white, as large as jays, and having beaks like crows, which lie always
on the sea, as they cannot fly to any height on account of the smallness
of their wings, which are not larger than the half of ones hand; yet
they fly with wonderful swiftness close to the water. We named these
birds Aporath, and found them very fat. In less than half an hour we
filled two boats with them; so that, besides what we eat fresh, each of
our ships salted five or six barrels of them to aid our sea stock.
Besides these, there is another and smaller kind, which hovers in the
air, all of which gather themselves on the island, and put themselves
under the wings of the larger birds. These smaller birds we named
Godetz. There was also another kind, which we called Margaulx,
considerably larger and entirely white, which bite like dogs. Although
this island is 14 leagues from the main[27], yet the bears swim off to
it to eat the birds, and our men found one there as large as an ordinary
cow, and as white as a swan. This monstrous animal leapt into the sea to
avoid our men; and upon Whitson Monday, when sailing towards the land,
we fell in with it swimming thither as fast almost as we could sail. We
pursued in our boats, and caught it by main strength. Its flesh was as
good eating as a steer of two years old. On the Wednesday following, the
27th of May, we came to the Bay of the Castles; but, on account of bad
weather and the great quantities of ice, we were obliged to anchor in a
harbour near the entrance of that bay, which we named Carpunt.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 14 of 423
Words from 6870 to 7385
of 221361
