The
Englishman's Name Was Master John Royden, Of Ipswich, Merchant; He
Was Bound For London With His Ship.
And this is the sum of that
which I observed in Iceland.
We departed from Iceland the 16th day
of June, in the morning, and our course was north-west; and saw on
the coast two small barques going to a harbour; we went not to them,
but saw them afar off. Thus we continued our course unto the end of
this month.
The 3rd day of July we were in between two firm lands of ice, and
passed in between them all that day until it was night, and then the
master turned back again, and so away we went towards Greenland.
And the 7th day of July we did see Greenland, and it was very high,
and it looked very blue; but we could not come to harbour in the
land because we were hindered by a firm land, as it were, of ice,
which was along the shore's side; but we were within three leagues
of the land, coasting the same divers days together. The 17th day
of July we saw the place which our captain, Master John Davis, the
year before had named the Land of Desolation, where we could not go
on shore for ice. The 18th day we were likewise troubled with ice,
and went in amongst it at three of the clock in the morning. After
we had cleared ourselves thereof we ranged all along the coast of
Desolation until the end of the aforesaid month.
The 3rd day of August we came in sight of Gilbert's Sound in the
latitude of 64 degrees 15 minutes, which was the place where we were
appointed to meet our general and the rest of our fleet. Here we
came to a harbour at six of the clock at night.
The 4th day, in the morning, the master went on shore with ten of
his men, and they brought us four of the people rowing in their
boats, aboard of the ship. And in the afternoon I went on shore
with six of our men, and there came to us seven of them when we were
on land. We found on shore three dead people, and two of them had
their staves lying by them, and their old skins wrapped about them,
and the other had nothing lying by, wherefore we thought it was a
woman. We also saw their houses, near the seaside, which were made
with pieces of wood on both sides, and crossed over with poles and
then covered over with earth. We found foxes running upon the
hills. As for the place, it is broken land all the way that we
went, and full of broken islands. The 21st of August the master
sent the boat on shore for wood, with six of his men, and there were
one-and-thirty of the people of the country, which went on shore to
them, and they went about to kill them as we thought, for they shot
their darts towards them, and we that were aboard the ship did see
them go on shore to our men, whereupon the master sent the pinnace
after them; and when they saw the pinnace coming towards them they
turned back, and the master of the pinnace did shoot off a culliver
to them the same time, but hurt none of them, for his meaning was
only to put them in fear.
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