104 Discoveries Settlements Book L 
ffiaking an acdurate Chart of them^ which was a things 
at that time, very much wanted. On the 28th they 
failed from thence, and continued their Courfe to the 
North-weft, till on the 19th of July they came into a 
whirling Tide, which fct Northwards, and failing about 
half a League into a very calm Sea, which bent South- 
fouth-weft, they heard a mighty Roaring, as if it 
had been the Breach of fome Shore, which could not 
but be very terrible, fmee the Weather was fo foggy that 
they could not fee from one Ship to another, though at 
t Very frhall Diftance. Upon this the Moon-Jhine was 
ordered to hoift her Boat out to found, but they could 
find no Ground in three hundred Fathoms and better ; 
then the Captain, the Mafter, and Mr. Jane^ who wrote 
this Account, went towards the Breach to fee what it 
was, and it proved to be feveral lilands of Ice which were 
broke loofe, and floating in the Sea j they got out upon 
thefe, and walked upon them, and when they went back 
into their Boat, they carried feveral large Pieces of Ice, 
which melted into very good frefli Water. 
On the 20th the Fog breaking up they difeovered the 
Land, which looked like a Sugar-loaf, and made fo un- 
comfortable, or rather fo horrid an Appearance, that 
Capt. Davis called it the Land of Defolation. On the 
2ift they were forced to bend their Courfe South again, 
to clear themfelves of the Ice, which they did, and then 
ran along the Shore. On the 2 2d the Captain endea- 
voured to go afhore, but was hindered by the Ice ; the 
Water on the Coaft was very black, and though the Sea- 
men made life of their Lines, they could catch noFifh. On 
the 24th the Captain caufed the Mens Allowance to be in- 
creafed, to encourage them •, but it is very remarkable, that 
healTures us theWeather was far from being cold, but like 
ours in Aprils very fharp, when the Wind blew from the 
Shore •, and on the contrary, very hot, when it blew 
from the Sea. 
On the 25 th they bore away Nor di- weft, and conti- 
nued their Courfe for four Days. On the 29th they dil- 
covered Land in the Latitude of 64° 1 5' North, the Sea 
quite free from Ice, and the Weather very temperate. 
Upon viewing the Coaft they found many pleafant Bays 
and commodious Ports, but judged it not a continued 
Land, but rather an Archipelago, and therefore they 
refolved to go afliore on one of thefe fmall Iflands, in' 
order to fearch for Wood and Water, and to gain a bet- 
ter Knowledge of the Country ; they were no fooner on 
Shore, than they found evident Marks of the Country’s 
being inhabited, by there lying upon the Ground a fmall 
Shoe, feveral Pieces of Leather fewed with Sinews, a 
Piece of Fir and Wool, like Beaver. They went next 
upon another Ifland, where, getting upon a high Rock, 
they were feert by the People of the Country, who fet up 
thereupon a moft hideous Howling •, when they per- 
ceived this, the Englijh likewife made a Noife, to give 
Notice of what had happened, to their own People ; upon 
which Capt. Bruton^ of the Moon-Jhine^ prefently came 
to their Afliftance, with a good Number of his Seamen •, 
and prefently after their Arrival there appeared ten Boats 
full of the Natives coming from a neighbouring Ifland, 
and two of thefe Canoes advanced fo near the Shore, that 
they could eaflly talk with thofe that were in them 
their Language was much in the Throat, and their Pro- 
nunciation harfli and unpleafant •, one of them, however. 
Teemed inclined to come on Shore, but firft pointed to 
the Sun, and then ftruck his Breaft fo hard, that they 
could hear the Blow upon which, Mr. John Ellis^ 
Mafter of the Moon-Jhine^ was appointed to treat with 
him ; and he going to the Sea-fide, pointing to the Sun, 
and ftrildng his Breaft, as the Savage had done, he at 
length ventured on Shore, and they threw him Caps, 
Stockings, Gloves, and what elfe they thought might 
pleafe him \ but the Night drawing on, they took their 
Leaves on both Sides. 
The next Morning there came thirty-feven Canoes 
lowing by their Ships, calling them to come afliore. 
The EngUJhj, however, did not make great Hafte ; upon 
which one of the Savages leaped on Shore, and went to 
the I’op of a Rock,, where he danced and beat a Drum, 
to £hew his Joy. The EngUfi then manned their BoatSj. 
and came to them to the Water-fide, where they waited 
in their Canoes *, and after the formal Ceremony of fwear- 
ing by the Sun, the Savages made no Scruple of trufting 
them 4 but, on the contrary, fliewed all polTible Signs 
of Kindnefs, and even of Politenefs ; for when the Au- 
thor of this Voyage offered to fliake Hands with one of 
them, he firft took his Hand and kiffed it, They readily 
parted with any thing they were afked for, and were con- 
tent with whatever was given them, fliewing no Signs of 
Greedinefs, much lefs of Treachery or Infidelity. They 
bought of them five of their Canoes, and feveral of their 
Stockings and Gowns, which were made, fome of Seal 
and other of Bird Skins, all of them well dreffed, and 
neatly made •, fo that it plainly appeared they had vari- 
ous Trades amongft them. They had plenty of Furs ; 
and when they faw that the Englijh admired them, they 
gave them to underftand, by Signs, that they would go 
up into their Country and come down and bring them 
more, but the Wind, proving fair in the Night, Capt. 
Davis^ defpifmg Profit, on the ift of Augujl failed ftill 
farther to the North- weft ; and on the 6th of the fame 
Month they entered into a very fair Road, free from Ice, 
in the Latitude of 66° 40', where they landed under a, 
high Mountain, the Cliffs of which flione like Gold. 
Captain Davis^ having taken a view of every thing, be- 
gan to think of beftowihg Names on the Places he had 
difeovered. He gave to the Hill the Name of Mount 
Raleigh \ the Road where the Ship lay he called T vtnejs 
Road *, the Sound, at the Foot of the Mountain, Exeter 
Sou?2d j the North -foreland, Diers Cape ; and the South- 
foreland, Waljhingham. Here they difeovered four v/hite 
Bears of a prodigious Bignefs, two of which they killed 
and brought on board j the Fore-paw of one of which 
meafured fourteen Inches. They faw a Raven upon 
Mount Raleigh^ and at the bottom of the Hill they found 
fome Shrubs and Flowers like Primrofes ; the Coaft, 
however, was very mountainous, and altogether barren, 
affording neither Wood nor Grafs, nor fo much as Earth j 
the Mountains being all of Stone, but the braveft Stone, 
fays our Author, that ever we faw. Yet this Account 
concludes nothing againft the Fruitfulnefs of the inland 
Part of the Country, which might be very good for all 
that, and, indeed, probably was fo, fince the Bears were 
very fat, and yet it appeared, upon opening their Sto- 
machs, and upon viewing their Dung, that they were not 
ravenous, but fed upon Grafs. 
They weighed on the 8th from Mount Raleigh^ failing 
ftill along the Coaft, which lay South-fouth-weft, and 
Eaft-north-eaft. On the nth they came to the moft 
foutherly Point of this Land, which they called the Cape 
oj God^s Mercy ^ and here they weve furprized with a very 
thick Fog ; upon the breaking up of which, they found 
that they were font into a very Streight or Paffage, in 
fome Places fixty Miles broad, in others ninety *, the 
Weather very fine and temperate, and the Water of the 
fame Colour with that of the Ocean, which filled them 
with Flopes. ft'hey failed through this Streight for fixty 
Leagues, and then difeovered feveral fair Iflands in the 
midft of it, with an open Paffage on both Sides, through 
which they failed. One Bark taking the North, the other the 
South Side ; but the Wind changing, and the Weather 
growing foggy and foul, they were forced to lye by for 
five Days, in thofe which have been ever fince called Da- 
vises Streight s. On the 14th they went afhore, and faw 
evident Marks of the Country’s being inhabited ; for they 
found Part of a Stone-Wall and a human Skull. On the 
1 5th they heard a great Howling on Shore, which they 
fuppofed to be Wolves, and therefore went afhore to kill 
them ; when they came to Land they found the Creatures 
they had taken for Wolves were Dogs, and they came 
inftantly running to the Boat to meet them, wagging 
their Tails, and fliewing other Signs of Joy, as it is ufual 
for thofe Animals to do at the Sight of Men. There 
were twenty of them in all, and as they were of the Size 
of Maftiffs, with fliort Ears and long bufhy Tails, the 
Seamen being afraid of them, fired and killed two, one of 
which had a leather Collar on. They found likewife there 
two Sledges, one made of feveral kind of Boards that were 
Tawed,, and the other of Whalebone. They likewife faw 
Larks,.- 
