66 Sir Martin Frobisher. 



behind them, thorow which they had passed, and 

 finding more before them thorow which they could 

 not passe. Some of the ships, where they could find 

 a place more cleare of yce, and get a little berth of 

 sea roome, did take in their sayles, and there lay 

 adrift ; other some fastened and moored anker upon 

 a great island of yce ; and again some were so fast 

 shut up, and compassed in amongst an infinite 

 number of great countreys and islands of yce, that 

 they were fain to submit themselves and their ships 

 to the mercy of the unmerciful yce, and strengthened 

 the sides of their ships with junk of cables, beds, 

 masts, planks, and such like, which being hanged 

 overboard, on the sides of their ships, might better 

 defend them from the outrageous sway and strokes 

 of the said yce." One of their methods for boring 

 through fields of pack ice was decidedly primitive, 

 but it was then considered novel and ingenious, and 

 appears to have been successful. We are told, during 

 this same voyage of Sir Martin Frobisher, that the 

 Ci Judith," having parted company from her con- 

 sorts, was beset by the ice, tc and when that by 

 heaving of the billowe, they were therewith like 

 to be brused in peces, they used to make the ship 

 fast to the most firme and broad pece of yce they 

 could find, and binding her nose fast thereunto 

 would fill all their sayles ; whereon, the wind, 

 having great power, would force forward the ship, 

 so the ship bearing before her the yce ; and so one 



