MARTIN FROBISHER a.d. 



J577. 

 them to their houses. It seemeth they are often frighted 



with Pirats, or some other enemies, that moove them 



to such sudden feare. Their houses are very simply 



builded with Pibble stone, without any chimneis, the fire 



being made in the middest thereof. The good man, 



wife, children, and other of their family eate and sleepe 



on the one side of the house, and the cattell on the other, 



very beastly and rudely, in respect of civilitie. They are 



destitute of wood, their fire is turffes, and Cowshards. M wood in 



They have corne, bigge, and oates, with which they pay 0rkne y- 



their Kings rent, to the maintenance of his house. They 



take great quantitie of fish, which they dry in the wind 



and Sunne. They dresse their meat very filthily, and 



eate it without salt. Their apparell is after the rudest 



sort of Scotland. Their money is all base. Their Church 



and religion is reformed according to the Scots. The 



fisher men of England can better declare the dispositions Fisher men of 



of those people then I: wherefore I remit other their Fjigland have 

 r , r . . . . . , daily traffike 



usages to their reports, as yeerely repaires thither, in t0 Qriney. 



their course to and from Island for fish. 



We departed herehence the 8. of June, and followed [HI- 33-] 

 our course betweene West and Northwest, untill the 4. ! ff une and h 

 of July : all which time we had no night, but that easily, - m th ^ se ^ est 

 and without any impediment we had when we were so and North- 

 disposed, the fruition of our bookes, and other pleasures west regions. 

 to passe away the time : a thing of no small moment, to 

 such as wander in unknowen seas, and long navigations, 

 especially, when both the winds and raging surges do 

 passe their common and wonted course. This benefite 

 endureth in those parts not 6. weekes, while the sunne 

 is neere the Tropike of Cancer : but where the pole is 

 raised to 70. or 80. degrees, it continueth much longer. 



All along these seas, after we were sixe dayes sailing Great abun- 

 from Orkney, we met rioting in the sea, great Firre trees, dance of Fine 

 which as we judged, were with the furie of great floods ^g S s f a ° tn ^ tn 

 rooted up, and so driven into the sea. Island hath 

 almost no other wood nor fuell, but such as they take 

 up upon their coastes. It seemeth, that these trees are 



213 



