Voyages in Search of the North-West Passage [63]
the country were black, and some white; as I think, they be of no value; nevertheless I have brought examples of them to you.
The 30th of August we departed from this harbour towards England, and the wind took us contrary, so that we were fain to go to another harbour the same day at eleven of the clock. And there came to us thirty-nine of the people and brought us thirteen seal-skins, and after we received these skins of them the master sent the carpenter to change one of our boats which we had bought of them before; and they would have taken the boat from him perforce, and when they saw they could not take it from us they shot with their darts at us, and struck one of our men with one of their darts, and John Filpe shot one of them in the breast with an arrow. And they came to us again, and four of our men went into the ship boat, and they shot with their darts at our men; but our men took one of their people in his boat, into the ship boat, and he hurt one of them with his knife, but we killed three of them in their boats, two of them were hurt with arrows in the breast, and he that was aboard our boat was shot with an arrow, and hurt with a sword, and beaten with staves, whom our men cast overboard; but the people caught him and carried him on shore upon their boats, and the other two also, and so departed from us. And three of them went on shore hard by us where they had their dogs, and those three came away from their dogs, and presently one of their dogs came swimming towards us hard aboard the ship, whereupon our master caused the gunner to shoot off one of the great pieces--towards the people, and so the dog turned back to land, and within an hour after there came of the people hard aboard the ship, but they would not come to us as they did before.
The 31st of August we departed from Gilbert's Sound for England, and when we came out of the harbour there came after us seventeen of the people looking which way we went.
The 2nd of September we lost sight of the land at twelve of the clock at noon.
The 3rd day at night we lost sight of the North Star, our pinnace, in a very great storm, and lay a-hull tarrying for them the 4th day, but could hear no more of them. Thus we shaped our course the 5th day south-south-east, and sailing unto the 27th of the said month, we came in sight of Cape Clear in Ireland.
The 30th day we entered into our own Channel.
The 2nd of October we had sight of the Isle of Wight.
The 3rd we coasted all along the shore, and the 4th and 5th.
The 6th of the said month of October we came into the River of Thames as high as Ratcliffe in safety, God be thanked!
THE THIRD VOYAGE NORTH-WESTWARD, MADE BY JOHN DAVIS, Gentleman, as chief captain and pilot general for the discovery of a passage to the Isles of the Molucca, or the coast of China, in the year 1587. Written by John Janes, servant to the aforesaid Master William Sanderson.
May.--The 19th of this present month, about midnight, we weighed our anchors, set sail and departed from Dartmouth with two barques and a clincher, the one named the Elizabeth, of Dartmouth, the other the Sunshine, of London, and the clincher called the Ellin, of London; thus, in God's name, we set forwards with wind at north-east, a good fresh gale. About three hours after our departure, the night being somewhat thick with darkness, we had lost the pinnace. The captain, imagining that the men had run away with her, willed the master of the Sunshine to stand to seawards and see if we could descry them, we bearing in with the shore for Plymouth. At length we descried her, bore with her, and demanded what the cause was; they answered that the tiller of their helm was burst, so shaping our course west- south-west, we went forward, hoping that a hard beginning would make a good ending; yet some of us were doubtful of it, failing in reckoning that she was a clincher; nevertheless, we put our trust in God.
The 21st we met with the Red Lion of London, which came from the coast of Spain, which was afraid that we had been men-of-war;
The 30th of August we departed from this harbour towards England, and the wind took us contrary, so that we were fain to go to another harbour the same day at eleven of the clock. And there came to us thirty-nine of the people and brought us thirteen seal-skins, and after we received these skins of them the master sent the carpenter to change one of our boats which we had bought of them before; and they would have taken the boat from him perforce, and when they saw they could not take it from us they shot with their darts at us, and struck one of our men with one of their darts, and John Filpe shot one of them in the breast with an arrow. And they came to us again, and four of our men went into the ship boat, and they shot with their darts at our men; but our men took one of their people in his boat, into the ship boat, and he hurt one of them with his knife, but we killed three of them in their boats, two of them were hurt with arrows in the breast, and he that was aboard our boat was shot with an arrow, and hurt with a sword, and beaten with staves, whom our men cast overboard; but the people caught him and carried him on shore upon their boats, and the other two also, and so departed from us. And three of them went on shore hard by us where they had their dogs, and those three came away from their dogs, and presently one of their dogs came swimming towards us hard aboard the ship, whereupon our master caused the gunner to shoot off one of the great pieces--towards the people, and so the dog turned back to land, and within an hour after there came of the people hard aboard the ship, but they would not come to us as they did before.
The 31st of August we departed from Gilbert's Sound for England, and when we came out of the harbour there came after us seventeen of the people looking which way we went.
The 2nd of September we lost sight of the land at twelve of the clock at noon.
The 3rd day at night we lost sight of the North Star, our pinnace, in a very great storm, and lay a-hull tarrying for them the 4th day, but could hear no more of them. Thus we shaped our course the 5th day south-south-east, and sailing unto the 27th of the said month, we came in sight of Cape Clear in Ireland.
The 30th day we entered into our own Channel.
The 2nd of October we had sight of the Isle of Wight.
The 3rd we coasted all along the shore, and the 4th and 5th.
The 6th of the said month of October we came into the River of Thames as high as Ratcliffe in safety, God be thanked!
THE THIRD VOYAGE NORTH-WESTWARD, MADE BY JOHN DAVIS, Gentleman, as chief captain and pilot general for the discovery of a passage to the Isles of the Molucca, or the coast of China, in the year 1587. Written by John Janes, servant to the aforesaid Master William Sanderson.
May.--The 19th of this present month, about midnight, we weighed our anchors, set sail and departed from Dartmouth with two barques and a clincher, the one named the Elizabeth, of Dartmouth, the other the Sunshine, of London, and the clincher called the Ellin, of London; thus, in God's name, we set forwards with wind at north-east, a good fresh gale. About three hours after our departure, the night being somewhat thick with darkness, we had lost the pinnace. The captain, imagining that the men had run away with her, willed the master of the Sunshine to stand to seawards and see if we could descry them, we bearing in with the shore for Plymouth. At length we descried her, bore with her, and demanded what the cause was; they answered that the tiller of their helm was burst, so shaping our course west- south-west, we went forward, hoping that a hard beginning would make a good ending; yet some of us were doubtful of it, failing in reckoning that she was a clincher; nevertheless, we put our trust in God.
The 21st we met with the Red Lion of London, which came from the coast of Spain, which was afraid that we had been men-of-war;