They Brought Us Seal Skins And Salmon Peel, But,
Seeing Iron, They Could In Nowise Forbear Stealing; Which, When I
Perceived it, did but minister unto me an occasion of laughter to
see their simplicity, and willed that in no
Case they should be any
more hardly used, but that our own company should be the more
vigilant to keep their things, supposing it to be very hard in so
short time to make them know their evils. They eat all their meat
raw, they live most upon fish, they drink salt water, and eat grass
and ice with delight; they are never out of the water, but live in
the nature of fishes, but only when dead sleep taketh them, and then
under a warm rock, laying his boat upon the land, he lieth down to
sleep. Their weapons are all darts, but some of them have bow and
arrows and slings. They make nets to take their fish of the fin of
a whale; they do all their things very artfully, and it should seem
that these simple, thievish islanders have war with those of the
main, for many of them are sore wounded, which wounds they received
upon the main land, as by signs they gave us to understand. We had
among them copper ore, black copper, and red copper; they pronounce
their language very hollow, and deep in the throat; these words
following we learned from them:-
Kesinyoh, eat some. Mysacoah, wash it.
Madlycoyte, music. Lethicksaneg, a seal-skin.
Aginyoh, go, fetch. Canyglow, kiss me.
Yliaoute, I mean no harm. Ugnera, my son.
Ponameg, a boat. Acu, shot.
Conah, leap. Aba, fallen down.
Maatuke, fish. Icune, come hither.
Sambah, below. Awennye, yonder.
Maconmeg, will you have Nugo, no.
this?
Cocah, go to him. Tucktodo, a fog.
Paaotyck, an oar. Lechiksah, a skin.
Asanock, a dart. Maccoah, a dart.
Sawygmeg, a knife. Sugnacoon, a coat.
Uderah, a nose. Gounah, come down.
Aoh, iron. Sasobneg, a bracelet.
Blete, an eye. Ugnake, a tongue.
Unvicke, give it. Ataneg, a meal.
Tuckloak, a stag or elan. Macuah, a beard.
Panygmah, a needle. Pignagogah, a thread.
Aob, the sea. Quoysah, give it to me.
The 7th of July, being very desirous to search the habitation of
this country, I went myself with our new pinnace into the body of
the land, thinking it to be a firm continent, and passing up a very
large river a great flaw of wind took me, whereby we were
constrained to seek succour for that night, which being had, I
landed with the most part of my company, and went to the top of a
high mountain, hoping from thence to see into the country; but the
mountains were so many and so mighty as that my purpose prevailed
not, whereupon I again returned to my pinnace, and willing divers of
my company to gather mussels for my supper, whereof in this place
there was great store, myself having espied a very strange sight,
especially to me, that never before saw the like, which was a mighty
whirlwind, taking up the water in very great quantity, furiously
mounting it into the air, which whirlwind was not for a puff or
blast, but continual for the space of three hours, with very little
intermission, which since it was in the course that I should pass,
we were constrained that night to take up our lodging under the
rocks.
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