THE REDISCOVERY OF GREENLAND 225 



the mainland were still covered with snow, and here he 

 landed on the west coast at Gilbert Sound, as he named 

 it, near where Godthaab now is, and entered into com- 

 munication with the natives. 



For such occasions, apparently, he had among the 

 Sunshine people four described as musicians, whom, on 

 sighting the Eskimos, he sent for. As soon as they 

 arrived from the ship he ordered them to strike up a 

 dancing tune, and to their merry music Davis and his 

 men began to caper as if they were enjoying them- 

 selves immensely, while the lookers-on gradually in- 

 creased in number. " At length," he says, " one of 

 them poynting up to the sunne with his hande would 

 presently strike his brest so hard that we might hear 

 the blowe. This he did many times, before he would 

 any way trust us. Then John Ellis the master of the 

 Mooneshine, was appointed to use his best policie to 

 gaine their friendshippe : who strooke his breast and 

 poynted to the sunne after their order : which when he 

 had diverse times done, they began to trust him, and 

 one of them came on shoare, to whom we threwe our 

 caps, stockings and gloves, and such other things as 

 then we had about us, playing with our musicke, and 

 making signes of joy, and dancing. So the night 

 comming we bade them farewell, and went aboord 

 our barks." 



The next morning, being the 30th of July, thirty- 

 seven canoes came up to the ships, their occupants 

 calling to the English to come on shore. " Wee not 

 making any great haste unto them, one of them went 

 up to the top of the rocke, and lept and daunced as 

 they had done the day before, shewing us a scales 



