We Came To The Water's Side, Where They Were, And
After We Had Sworn By The Sun After Their Fashion They Did Trust Us.
So I Shook Hands With One Of Them, And He Kissed My Hand, And We
Were Very Familiar With Them.
We were in so great credit with them
upon this single acquaintance that we could have anything they had.
We bought five canoes of them; we bought their clothes from their
backs, which were all made of seal skins and birds' skins; their
buskins, their hose, their gloves, all being commonly sewed and well
dressed, so that we were fully persuaded that they have divers
artificers among them. We had a pair of buskins of them full of
fine wool like beaver. Their apparel for heat was made of birds'
skins with their feathers on them. We saw among them leather
dressed like glover's leather, and thick thongs like white leather
of good length. We had of their darts and oars, and found in them
that they would by no means displease us, but would give us
whatsoever we asked of them, and would be satisfied with whatsoever
we gave them. They took great care one of another, for when we had
bought their boats then two other would come, and carry him away
between them that had sold us his. They are a very tractable
people, void of craft or double dealing, and easy to be brought to
any civility or good order, but we judged them to be idolaters, and
to worship the sun.
During the time of our abode among these islands we found reasonable
quantity of wood, both fir, spruce, and juniper; which, whether it
came floating any great distance to these places where we found it,
or whether it grew in some great islands near the same place by us
not yet discovered, we know not. But we judge that it groweth there
farther into the land than we were, because the people had great
store of darts and oars which they made none account of, but gave
them to us for small trifles as points and pieces of paper. We saw
about this coast marvellous great abundance of seals sculling
together like sculls of small fish. We found no fresh water among
these islands, but only snow-water, whereof we found great pools.
The cliffs were all of such ore as Master Frobisher brought from
Meta Incognita. We had divers shewes of study or Moscovie glass,
shining not altogether unlike to crystal. We found an herb growing
upon the rocks whose fruit was sweet, full of red juice, and the
ripe ones were like currants. We found also birch and willow
growing like shrubs low to the ground. These people have great
store of furs as we judged. They made shows unto us the 30th of
this present, which was the second time of our being with them,
after they perceived we would have skins and furs, that they would
go into the country and come again the next day with such things as
they had; but this night the wind coming fair the captain and the
master would by no means detract the purpose our discovery.
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