July. - The 2nd We Fell In With A Mighty Bank Of Ice West From Us,
Lying North And South, Which
Bank we would gladly have doubled 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 out that we
might have run so far west till we had found land, or else to have
been thoroughly resolved of our pretended purpose.
The 3rd we fell in with the ice again, and putting off from it we
sought to the northwards, but the wind crossed us.
The 4th was foggy, so was the 5th; also with much wind at north.
The 6th being very clear, we put our barque with oars through a gap
in the ice, seeing the sea free on the west side, as we thought,
which falling out otherwise, caused us to return after we had stayed
there between the ice.
The 7th and the 8th, about midnight, by God's help we recovered the
open sea, the weather being fair and calm; and so was the 9th.
The 10th we coasted the ice.
The 11th was foggy, but calm.
The 12th we coasted again the ice, having the wind at west-north-
west. The 13th, bearing off from the ice, we determined to go with
the shore, and come to an anchor, and to stay five or six days for
the dissolving of the ice, hoping that the sea from continually
beating it, and the sun with the extreme force of heat, which it 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 again, came
rowing after us into the sea, the waves being somewhat lofty. We
trucked with them for a few skins and darts, and gave them beads,
nails, needles, and cards, they pointing to the shore as though they
would show us great friendship; but we, little regarding their
courtesy, gave them the gentle farewell, and so departed.
The 14th we had the wind at south. The 15th there was some fault
either in the barque or the set of some current, for we were driven
six points out of our course. The 16th we fell in with the bank of
ice, west from us. The 17th and 18th were foggy. The 19th, at one
o'clock afternoon, we had sight of the land which we called Mount
Raleigh, and at twelve of the clock at night we were athwart the
straits which we discovered the 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 and went
west in among the isles. Here the compass set at 30 degrees
westward variation. The 24th we departed, shaping our course south-
east to recover the sea. The 25th we were becalmed in the bottom of
the gulf, the air being extremely hot. Master Bruton and some of
the mariners went on shore to course dogs, where they found many
graves, and trains spilt on the ground, the dogs being so fat that
they were scant able to run.
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.
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