A.D. 



1577- 



A skirmish 

 shezced to those 

 people. 



Their flags 

 made of 

 bladders. 



THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



together : we supposed they made this dance and shew 

 for us to understand, that we might take view of their 

 whole companies and force, meaning belike that we 

 should doe the same. And thus they continued upon 

 the hill tops untill night, when hearing a piece of our 

 great Ordinance, which thundred in the hollownesse of 

 the high hilles, it made unto them so fearefull a noise, 

 that they had no great will to tarie long after. And 

 this was done more to make them know our force then 

 to doe them any hurt at all. 



On Sunday the 12 of August, Captaine Fenton trained 

 the company, and made the souldiers maintaine skirmish 

 among themselves, as well for their exercise, as for the 

 countrey people to behold in what readines our men were 

 alwaies to be found, for it was to be thought, that they 

 lay hid in the hilles thereabout, and observed all the 

 manner of our proceedings. 



On Wednesday the fourteenth of August, our Generall 

 with two small boates well appointed, for that hee sus- 

 pected the countrey people to lie lurking thereabout, 

 went up a certaine Bay within the Countesses sound, to 

 search for Ore, and met againe with the countrey people, 

 who so soone as they saw our men made great outcries, 

 and with a white flag made of bladders sowed together 

 with the guts and sinewes of beasts, wafted us amaine 

 unto them, but shewed not above three of their company. 

 But when wee came neere them, wee might perceive 

 a great multitude creeping behinde the rockes, which 

 gave us good cause to suspect their traiterous meaning : 

 whereupon we made them signes, that if they would 

 lay their weapons aside, and come foorth, we would deale 

 friendly with them, although their intent was manifested 

 unto us : but for all the signes of friendship we could 

 make them they came still creeping towards us behind 

 the rocks to get more advantage of us, as though we 

 had no eyes to see them, thinking belike that our single 

 wits could not discover so bare devises and simple drifts 

 of theirs. Their spokesman earnestly perswaded us with 



312 



