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Naval Expeditions , 6cc t of the English,

Book I

1 553* ^ e g rees -» at about two Hundred andfifty Leagues Distance. From thencewe sailed twelve Leagues, Northwest,and, finding many other Islands there,we came to an Anchor, on the nine-teenth. We manned oar Pinnace, andwent on Shoar, where we found a greatmany People, mowing and making ofHay, who came to us and welcomed us.These Islands, which are innumerable,"*/Ro ft ant ^ s are called the Islands of Ho ft, belonging’ to the King of Denmark, and situate insixty-fix Degrees, and thirty Minutes.The Wind being contrary, we staid herethree Days, in which Time we took agreat Number of Fowls, of severalKinds.

The twenty-second, the Wind com-ing fair, we departed from Ro/t, sailingNorth-East, and kept the Sea, till theseven and twentieth. We then drewnear to Land, which was still East of usand sent in our Pinnace to seek a Har-bour. She found several very goodone’s, into one of which, called Stan-Stanfew we stood in with our Ships. We

rbour - N found the Land to be Islands, calledLofoot. Lofoot, plentifully inhabited, by a verycourteous People, subject to the Kingof Denmark. These Islands are in sixty-eight Degrees, and about thirty LeaguesNorth-North-East from the Islands ofRoji ; But we could not learn how farthey were from the main Land, tho’we remained there ’till the thirtieth.

The thirtieth about Noon, we weigh-ed Anchor, and, putting out to Sea,sailed along these Islands, North-North-East, keeping the Land still in Sight,’till the second of August. We thenhaled in close to the Shoar, to enquirewhat Land it was. There came a Skiffon Board us, from the Island (as we un-derstood it was) of whose People we ask-ed many Questions, and were told it wasThe Istand of the Island of Stynam, in the Latitude ofSeynaoi, Seventy Degrees, and thirty Leaguesfrom Stanfew , likewise belonging to theKing of Denmark : But we found noMerchandize there, excepting driedFish, and Train-Oyl. Our Design be-ing now to sail for Finmark, we enquir-ed if we could not have a Pilot to carryus thither, and were told, if we wouldbear in, we should have a good Har-bour, and a Pilot, the nextDay, to carryus to Wardboufe , the strongest and mostfrequented Fort in Finmark. We at-tempted to enter the Harbour ; But theLand being very high, on every Side,there came such Flaws of Wind, and

terrible Whirlwinds, that it was imposli- 1 553'ble for us to bear in ; Qn the contrary,we were obliged to put to Sea again,our Pinnace being unfhip’d. We sailedNorth and by East, the Wind encreas-ing so much, that we were not able tocarry any Sail; But took them in, andlay adrift, to let the Storm pass over.

That Night, what with the Violence ofthe Wind, and the Thickness of theFog, we were not able to keep withinSight of one another; And about Mid-night, to our great Trouble, we lostour Pinnace. As soon as it was Day,and the Fog was cleared up, we lookedout for our Companions. We perceiv-ed only one Ship, to the Leeward y whichafterwards proved to be the Confidenza ,but the Edward we could not fee. (The ThePlace where they separated is by some ward Boij?Authors called the North Cape.) ^aratd

The Flaw being somewhat abated, tty 6 ‘we, and the Confidenza, hoised up our ther Shis'Sails, the fourth, sailing North-Eastand by North, that we might fall inwith Wardboufe, as We had before agreedto do, in Cafe we should part Company.

After having run North-East and byNorth, and North-East, about fiftyLeagues, we sounded, and found aHundred and sixty Fathom, by whichwe imagined we were far from Land,and found that there was a Mistake inthe common Way of marking the Landon the Globe.

The eighth, the Wind being veryhigh at West-North-West, and we, be-ing ignorant how the Coast bore, struckour Sails, and, lying adrift, sounded a-gain; But found the same Depth of Wa-ter as before.

The ninth, the Wind veering to theSouth-South-East, we sailed North-East,five and twenty Leagues.

The tenth, we founded, but couldget no Ground, neither could we feeany Land, at which we wondered. TheWind then coming to the North-East,we run South-East, about eight and for-ty Leagues.

The eleventh, the Wind being atSouth, we sounded, and found fortyFathom, and fair Sand.

The twelfth, the Wind being atSouth and by East, we lay with ourSails East, and East and by North, thir-ty Leagues.

The fourteenth, early in the Morn-ing, we perceived Land, with which,we bore in, and hoised out our Boat todiscover what Land it was: But the

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