MARTIN FROBISHER'S EXPEDITIONS OF 1576-8. 



251 



The First Traditionary History gained from the Esquimaux relative 

 to Frobisher 1 s Expedition. 



About the 1st of April, 1861, there was quite an intelligent 

 Esquimaux, named Koojesse, in the neighborhood where I was 

 (Kescue Harbor), who occasionally, in his communications, made 

 reference, in a vague way, to a certain matter which at first exci- 

 ted but little of my attention, and yet, in the sequel, it will be seen 

 that it related to what was of the most important character. I had 

 several conversations with this Esquimaux in the presence of 

 Captain Budington, who, being more proficient at that time than 

 myself in the Innuit vernacular, assisted me as interpreter. 



This native spoke of a time long, long ago, when kod-lu-nas 

 (white men) built a vessel on an island in the bay lower down 

 (Frobisher Bay). Spoke also of brick (" mik-e-oo-koo-loo oug" small 

 red pieces), timber, chips, etc., as having been left there. 



The idea of a vessel having been built in those regions seemed 

 too improbable to be entertained for a moment. So unreasonable 

 did the story appear of constructing a ship in such a perfectly 

 woodless country, that I thought it a waste of time and paper to 

 make a record of it ; therefore what transpired in the first two 

 or three interviews with the Esquimaux Koojesse, in relation to 

 this subject, is not in my original notes. Finally, in a few days, 

 I began in my reflections to connect the Esquimaux report with 

 the time when Martin Frobisher made his discoveries, and simul- 

 taneously commenced to make record of whatever was stated to 

 me in subsequent interviews. 



The commencement of said notes is under date of April 9th, 

 1861. I now extract them from my original journal, as made im- 

 mediately after an interview with the Esquimaux Koojesse on 

 the P.M. of same date : 



"Among the traditions handed down from one generation to 

 another, there is this: that many — very many years ago, some 

 white men built a ship on one of the islands of Frobisher Bay, 

 and went away. 



" I think I can see through this in this way : Frobisher, in 1578, 

 assembled a large part of his fleet in what he called ' Countess of 

 Warwick Sound' (said to be in that bay below us), when a coun- 

 cil was held on the 1st of August, at which it was determined to 

 send all persons and things on shore upon ' Countess of Warwick 

 Island and on August 2d orders were proclaimed, by sound of 



