a.d. THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



1559- 



of a cart wheele, there arrived a barke, which came from 

 Astracan, with Tartars and Russes, which had 2 ankers, 

 with whom I agreed for the one : and thus being in a 

 readines, we set saile and departed, I, and the two 

 Johnsons being Master and Mariners our selves, having 

 in our barke the said sixe ambassadors, and 25 Russes, 



[I. 334.] which had bene slaves a long time in Tartaria, nor ever 

 had before my comming, libertie, or meanes to get home, 

 and these slaves served to rowe when neede was. Thus 

 sailing sometimes along the coast, and sometimes out 

 of sight of lande, the 13. day of May, having a con- 

 trary winde, wee came to an anker, being three leagues 

 from the shoare, & there rose a sore storme, which 

 continued 44. houres, and our cable being of our owne 

 spinning, brake, and lost our anker, and being off a lee 

 shoare, and having no boate to helpe us, we hoysed 

 our saile, and bare roomer with the said shoare, look- 

 ing for present death : but as God provided for us, we 

 ranne into a creeke ful of oze, and so saved our selves 

 with our barke, & lived in great discomfort for a time. 

 For although we should have escaped with our lives the 

 danger of the sea, yet if our barke had perished, we 

 knew we should have bene, either destroyed, or taken 

 slaves by the people of that Countrey, who live wildly 

 in the field, like beasts, without house or habitation. 

 Thus when the storme was seased, we went out of the 

 creeke againe : and having set the land with our Com- 

 passe, and taken certaine markes of the same, during 

 the time of the tempest, whilest we ridde at our anker, 

 we went directly to the place where we ridde, with our 

 barke againe, and found our anker which wee lost : 

 whereat the Tartars much marveiled, how we did it. 

 While we were in the creeke, we made an anker of 

 wood of cart wheeles, which we had in our barke, which 

 we threw away, when wee had found our yron anker 

 againe. Within two dayes after, there arose another 

 great storme, at the Northeast, and we lay a trie, being 

 driven far into the sea, and had much ado to keepe 



476 



