84 Arctic and Antarctic Exploration [part i 
amidst drifting icebergs and dense fogs. Another gale 
sprang up with a fearful sea, coming on so suddenly that 
there was no time to shorten sail. Her canvas pressed the 
ship down until she was on her beam ends, and the men 
were seized with despairing panic. The captain rushed 
up with an axe in his hand, ran along the channels on 
the weather side, and cast off the foretack, relieving her 
of pressure from the foresail. He then ran aft and cut 
away the mizzen mast. The ship slowly began to right 
herself, and was got before the wind. Seeing this the 
affrighted crew made a rush to cut away the main shrouds, 
thinking further relief from pressure would complete what 
their captain had done. But Frobisher drove them back, 
ordering them to desist. As it was, the mainmast was 
sprung, and had to be fished. 
On the 28th July high land was sighted, receiving 
the name of Queen Elizabeth's Foreland. But the ice 
was floating in masses, and a huge iceberg split up close 
to the little craft as she drifted past. A landing was 
effected on an island, which was named after Christopher 
Hall, the master. The men brought back grass and 
flowers, and a piece of black stone which was destined 
to have a malign influence on Frobisher 's project of 
discovery. He sailed up a channel with land on either 
side, which received the name of Frobisher's Strait, and 
succeeded in establishing apparently friendly traffic with 
the Eskimos. But the traffic ended in a catastrophe. 
The boat, with five men, went away and, contrary to 
orders, pulled out of sight of the ship to barter for skins. 
Neither men nor boat were ever heard of again. It was 
a great calamity, for there was no other boat and the 
men were a serious loss. Frobisher succeeded in cap- 
turing one savage, with his kayak, but this was poor 
consolation. On the 26th August the return voyage was 
commenced and by the 9th October the Gabriel was once 
more in the Thames. 
Owing to the false report of the Michael, Frobisher 
and his people had been given up for lost. They had 
a hearty welcome and the gallant leader was well received 
at court. All would have proceeded satisfactorily for 
the resumption of the work of discovery, if it had not 
been for the black stone. Michael Lock got hold of it, 
