s- 



ad. THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



1556. 



This day there was a great gale of wind at North, and 

 we saw so much ice driving a seaboord, that it was then 

 no going to sea. 



August. 



Aturday I went ashore, and there I saw three morses 

 that they had killed : they held one tooth of a Morse, 

 which was not great, at a roble, and one white beare skin 

 at three robles & two robles : they further tolde me, that 

 Samoeds. there were people called Samoeds on the great Island, and 



that they would not abide them nor us, who have no 

 houses, but onely coverings made of Deersskins, set over 

 them with stakes : they are men expert in shooting, and 

 have great plenty of Deere. 



This night there fell a cruell storme, the wind being at 

 West. 



2 Sunday we had very much winde, with plenty of snow, 

 and we rode with two ankers a head. 



3 Munday we weyed and went roome with another 

 Island, which was five leagues Eastnortheast from us : and 

 there I met againe with Loshak, and went on shore with 



[I. 281.] him, and hee brought me to a heap of the Samoeds idols, 

 The maners of w hich were in number above 700, the worst and the most 

 * unartificiall worke that ever I saw : the eyes and mouthes 

 of sundrie of them were bloodie, they had the shape of 

 men, women and children, very grosly wrought, & that 

 which they had made for other parts, was also sprinckled 

 with blood. Some of their idols were an olde sticke with 

 two or three notches, made with a knife in it. I saw 

 much of the footing of the sayd Samoeds, and of the 

 sleds that they ride in. There was one of their sleds 

 broken, and lay by the heape of idols, & there I saw a 

 deers skinne which the foules had spoyled : and before 

 certaine of their idols blocks were made as high as their 

 mouthes, being all bloody, I thought that to be the table 

 wheron they offered their sacrifice : I saw also the instru- 

 ments, whereupon they had roasted flesh, and as farre as I 

 could perceive, they make their fire directly under the spit. 



33* 



