EXTRACTS. 279 



they made them of Hemp, being more curiously wrought, of stronger Materials 

 than ours, and hook'd with Bone-Hooks ; but laziness drives them to buy, more 

 than profit or commendations wins them to make of their own. They make like- 

 wise very strong Sturgeon-nets, with which they catch Sturgeons of twelve, four- 

 teen, and sixteen, and some eighteen Foot long in the daytime, and in the night- 

 time they betake themselves to their Birchen Canoos, in which they carry a forty- 

 fathom Line, with a sharp-bearded Dart fastened at the end thereof; then lighting 

 a Torch made of Birchen Rinds, they wave it to and again by their Canoo side, 

 which the Sturgeon much delighted with, comes to them tumbling and playing, 

 turning up his white Belly, into which they thrust their Lance, his Back being- 

 impenetrable ; which done, they hale to the Shore their strugling Price. They 

 have often recourse into the Rocks whereupon the Sea beats, in warm Weather, 

 to look out for sleepy Seals, whose Oyl they much esteem, using it for divers 

 things. In Summer they Fish any where, but in Winter in the fresh Water 

 onely, and Ponds ; in frosty Weather they cut round Holes in the Ice, about 

 which they will sit like so many Apes with their naked Breeches upon the cold 

 Ice, catching of Pikes, Pearches, Breams, and other sorts of fresh-Water Fish. 



Their Cordage is so even, soft, and smooth, that it looks more like 



Silk than Hemp. Their Sturgeon Nets are not deep, nor above thirty or forty 

 Foot long, which in ebbing low Waters they stake fast to the Ground where they 

 are sure the Sturgeon will come, never looking more at it till the next low Water. 

 Their Canoos are made either of Pine-trees, which before they were acquainted 

 with English, Tools, they burn'd hollow, scraping them smooth with Clam-shells 

 and Oyster-shells, cutting their out-sides with Stone Hatchets. These Boats are 

 not above a Foot and a half, or two Foot wide, and twenty Foot long. Their 

 other Canoos be made of thin Birch Rinds, close Ribb'd, and on the in-side with 

 broad, thin Hoops, like the Hoops of a Tub ; these are made very light, a Man 

 may carry one of them a Mile, being made purposely to carry from River to 

 River, and from Bay to Bay, to shorten Land-passages. In these cockling Fly- 

 boats, wherein an English-man can scarce sit without a fearful tottering, they will 

 venture to Sea, when an English Shallop dare not bear a Knot of Sail, scudding 

 over the over-grown Waves as fast as a wind-driven Ship, being driven by their 

 Paddles, being much like Battle-doors ; if a cross Wave (which is seldom) turn 

 her Keel up-side down, they by swimming free her, and scramble into her again." 

 (Page 157, etc.).* 



Josselyn (John) : An Account of Two Voyages to New-England ; London, 1674. 

 " Their fishing followes in the spring, summer and fall of the leaf. First for 



* After having made the preceding extract from Ogilby's quarto work, I discovered that he had taken the 

 whole of it almost literally from Chapters XVI and XVII of William Wood's "New England's Prospect" 

 (London, 1635). I prefer, however, retaining Ogilby's text, the latter being less barbarous in the spelling than 

 the original one, which appeared thirty-six years earlier. 



