gether hauled up ten fishes: all were generally very great, some they measured to be five feet long, and three feet about. This caused our captain not to marvel at the shoulding, for he perceived it was a fish bank; which (for our farewell from the land) it pleased God in continuance of his blessings, to give us knowledge of: the abundant profit whereof should be alone sufficient cause to draw men again, if there were no other good both in present certain, and in hope probable to be discovered. To amplify this with words, were to add light to the sun: for every one in the ship could easily account this present commodity; much more those of judgment which knew what belonged to fishing, would warrant (by the help of God) in a short voyage with few good fishers to make a more profitable return from hence than from Newfoundland: the fish being so much greater, better fed, and abundant with train, of which some they desired, and did bring into England to bestow among their friends, and to testify the true report. After we kept our course directly for England, and with ordinary winds, and sometimes calms, upon Sunday, the 14th of July, about six o'clock at night, we were come into sounding in our channel, but with dark weather and contrary winds, we were constrained to beat up and down till Tuesday, the 16th of July, when by five o'clock in the morning we made Scylly; from whence, hindered with calms and small winds, upon Thursday, the 18th of July, about four o'clock afternoon, we came into Dartmouth: which haven happily (with God's gracious assistance) we made our last and first harbor in England. Further I have thought fit to add some things worthy to be regarded, which we have observed from the savages since we took them. First although at the time when we surprised them, they made their best resistance, not knowing our purpose, nor what we were, nor how we meant to use them; yet after perceiving by their kind usage we intended them no harm, they have never since seemed discontented with us, but very tractable, loving and willing by their best means to satisfy us in anything we demand of them, by words or signs for their understanding: neither have they at any time been at the least discord among themselves: insomuch as we have not seen them angry, but merry; and so kind, as if you give anything to one of them, he will distribute part to every one of the rest. We have brought them to understand some English, and we understand much of their language: so as we are able to ask them many things. And this we have observed, that if we shew them anything, and ask them if they have it in their country, they will tell you if they have it, and the use of it, the difference from ours in bigness, color, or form: but if they have it not be it a thing never so precious, they will deny the knowledge of it. They have names for many stars, which they will shew in the firmament. They shew great reverence to their king, and are in great subjection to their governors: and they will shew a great respect to any we tell them are our commanders. They shew the manner how they make bread of their Indian wheat, and how they make butter and cheese of the milk they have of the reindeer and fallow deer, which they have tame as we have cows. They have excellent colors. And having seen our indigo, they make shew of it, or of some other like thing which maketh as good a blue. One especial thing is their manner of killing the whale, which they call powdawe; and will describe his form; how he bloweth up the water; and that he is twelve fathoms long; and that they go in company of their king with a multitude of their boats, and strike him with a bone made in fashion of a harping iron fastened to a rope, which they make great and strong of the bark of trees, which they veer out after him: then all their boats come about him, and as he riseth above water, with their arrows they shoot him to death when they have killed him and dragged him to shore, they call all their chief lords together, and sing a song of joy and those chief lords, whom they call sagamores, divide the spoil, and give to every man a share, which pieces so distributed, they hang up about their houses for provision : and when they boil them, they blow off the fat, and put to their pease, maize, and other pulse which they eat. A Brief Note of what Profits we saw the Country yield in the small time of our stay there. Trees. Oak of an excellent grain, strait and great timber; elm, beech; birch, very tall and great; of whose bark they make their canoes. Witch-hazel, hazel, alder, cherrytree, ash, maple, yew, spruce, aspen, fir. Many fruit trees which we knew not. Fowls. Eagles, hernshaws, cranes, ducks great, geese, swans, penguins, crows, shrikes, ravens, mews, turtle-doves. Many birds of sundry colors; many other fowls in flocks, unknown. Beasts. Reindeer, stags, fallow-deer, bears, wolves, beaver, otter, hare, cony, hedge-hogs, polecats, wild greatcats. Dogs; some like wolves, some like spaniels. Fishes. Whales, seals, cod very great, haddock great, herring great, plaise, thornback, rockfish, lobster great, crabs, muscles great, with pearls in them, cockles, wilks, cunnerfish, lumps, tortoises, oysters, whiting, soals. Fruits, plants and herbs. Tobacco excellent, sweet and strong; abundance of wild vines, strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, whurtleberries, currant trees, rose-bushes; pease, ground-nuts; angelica, a most sovereign herb; an herb that spreadeth the ground, and smelleth like sweet marjoram, great plenty; very good dyes, which appear by their paintings, which they carry with them in bladders. The names of the five savages which we brought home into England, which are all yet alive, are these. 1. Tahánedo, a sagamore or commander. VOYAGE INTO NEW ENGLAND, BEGUN IN 1623, AND ENDED IN 1624. PERFORMED BY CHRISTOPHER LEVETT, HIS MAJESTY'S WOODWARD OF SOMERSETSHIRE, AND ONE OF THE COUNCIL OF NEW ENGLAND. PRINTED AT LONDON, BY WILLIAM JONES, And are to be sold by Edward Brewster, at the sign 1628. |