MARTIN FROBISHER ad. 



1577- 



For their bread they have Oaten Cakes, and their 

 drinke is Ewes milke, and in some partes Ale. 



Their houses are but poore without and sluttish 

 ynough within, and the people in nature thereunto 

 agreeable. 



For their fire they burne heath and turffe, the Coun- 

 trey in most parts being voide of wood. 



They have great want of Leather, and desire our old 

 shoes, apparell, and old ropes (before money) for their 

 victuals, and yet are they not ignorant of the value of 

 our coine. The chiefe towne is called Kyrway. Kyrway the 



In this Island hath bene sometime an Abbey or a chiefe towne of 

 religious house called Saint Magnus, being on the West ^ M ^ gnus 

 side of the He, whereof this sound beareth name, through sound why so 

 which we passed. Their Governour or chiefe Lord is called. 

 called the Lord Robert Steward, who at our being there, 

 as we understood, was in durance at Edenburgh, by the 

 Regents commandement of Scotland. 



After we had provided us here of matter sufficient for 

 our voyage the eight of June wee set sayle againe, and 

 passing through Saint Magnus sound having a merrie 

 winde by night, came cleare and lost sight of all the land, 

 and keeping our course West Northwest by the space of 

 two dayes, the winde shifted upon us so that we lay in 

 traverse on the Seas, with contrary windes, making good 

 (as neere as we could) our course to the westward, and 

 sometime to the Northward, as the winde shifted. And 

 hereabout we met with 3 saile of English fishermen from 

 Iseland, bound homeward, by whom we wrote our letters 

 unto our friends in England. We traversed these Seas 

 by the space of 26 dayes without sight of any land, and Great bodies 

 met with much drift wood, & whole bodies of trees. °l£*" n J£ 

 We sawe many monsterous fishes and strange foules, seaSm 

 which seemed to live onely by the Sea, being there so [III. 62.] 

 farre distant from any land. At length God favoured us Monstrous fish 

 with more prosperous windes, and after wee had sayled f J*™"f* 

 foure dayes with good winde in the Poop, the fourth of one ^ ^ t j ie 

 July the Michaell being formost a head shot off a peece Sea. 



287 



