A.D. 



[ 577- 



Their weapons 

 of defence. 



[HI. 38.] 

 Three sorts of 

 heads to their 

 arrozves. 



Two sorts of 

 darts. 



Two sorts of 

 boates made of 

 leather. 



THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



to be inhabited, which are raised with stones and Whale 

 bones, and a skinne layd over them, to withstand the 

 raine, or other weather : the entrance of them being not 

 much unlike an Ovens mouth, whereto I thinke they 

 resort for a time to fish, hunt, and foule, and so leave 

 them untill the next time they come thither againe. 



Their weapons are bowes, arrowes, darts, and slings. 

 Their bowes are of wood of a yard long, sinewed at the 

 back with strong sinewes, not glued too, but fast girded 

 and tyed on. Their bow strings are likewise sinewes. 

 Their arrowes are three pieces nocked with bone, and 

 ended with bone, with those two ends, and the wood in 

 the midst, they passe not in length halfe a yard or 

 little more. They are fethered with two fethers the 

 penne end being cut away, and the fethers layd upon 

 the arrow with the broad side to the wood ; insomuch 

 that they seeme when they are tyed on, to have foure 

 fethers. They have also three sorts of heads to those 

 arrowes : one sort of stone or yron, proportioned like to 

 a heart : the second sort of bone, much like unto a stopt 

 head, with a hooke on the same : the third sort of bone 

 likewise made sharpe at both sides, and sharpe pointed. 

 They are not made very fast but lightly tyed to, or else 

 set in a nocke, that upon small occasion the arrowes 

 leave these heads behind them : and they are of small 

 force, except they be very neere when they shoote. 



Their Darts are made of two sorts : the one with many 

 forkes of bones in the fore end and likewise in the 

 midst : their proportions are not much unlike our toast- 

 ing yrons but longer : these they cast out of an instru- 

 ment of ; wood, very readily. The other sort is greater 

 then the first aforesayd, with a long bone made sharpe 

 on both sides not much unlike a Rapier, which I take 

 to bee their most hurtfull weapon. 



They have two sorts of boats made of leather, set out 

 on the inner side with quarters of wood, artificially tyed 

 together with thongs of the same : the greater sort are 

 not much unlike our wherries, wherein sixeteene or 



226 



