The voyage of the ship called the Marigold of M. Hill
of Redrife unto Cape Briton and beyond to the latitude
of 44 degrees and an half, 1593 Written by Richard
fisher Master Hilles man of Redriffe.
THE ship called the Marigold of 70 tunnes in burthen
furnished with 20 men, wherof 10 were Mariners, the
Masters name being Richard Strong of Apsham, the
Masters mate Peter Langworth of Apsham, with 3
coopers, 2 butchers to flea the Morsses or
sea Oxen
(whereof divers have teeth above a cubit long & skinnes
farre thicker then any buls hide) with other necessary
people, departed out of Falmouth
the 1 of June 1593 in
consort of another ship of M. Drakes of Apsham, which
upon some occasion was not ready so soone as shee
should have bene by two moneths. The place for which
these two ships were bound was an Island within the
streightes of Saint Peter on the backe side of Newfoundland
to the Southwest in the latitude of fortie seven
degrees, called by the Britons of Saint Malo the
Isle of
Ramea, but by the Savages and naturals of the Continent
next adjoyning, Menquit: On which Isle are so great
abundance of the huge and mightie
Sea Oxen with great
teeth in the moneths of April, May and June, that there
have bene fifteene hundreth killed there by one small
barke, in the yeere 1591. The two English shipps aforesayde, lost companie before they came to Newfoundland
:
and never came after together in all their voyage.
The ship of M. George Drake fell first with Newfoundland
, and afterward very directly came to the
Isle
Ramea, though too late in the yeere to make her voyage:
where shee found a shippe of Saint Malo three parts
fraighted with these fishes: the men whereof enquiring
whence our shippe was and who was the Master thereof,
being answered that shee was belonging to Master George
Drake of Apsham, fearing to bee taken as good prize
being of a Leaguer towne, and at that time out of league
with England
, fled so hastily that present night that they
left three and twentie men and three Shallops behinde
them, all which our men seazed upon and brought away
as good prises home.
Here our men tooke certaine Sea-oxen, but nothing
such numbers as they might have had, if they had come
in due season, which they had neglected. The shippe
called the Marigolde fell with
Cape Saint Francis in
Newfoundland
the eleventh of Julie, and from thence
wee went into the Bay Rogneuse, and afterward doubled
Cape Razo, and sayling toward the straight of Saint
Peter (which is the entrance betweene Newfoundland
and
Cape Briton,) being unacquainted with the place, beate
up and downe a very long time, and yet missed it, and
at length over shot it, and fell with
Cape Briton.
Here diverse of our men went on land upon the very
Cape, where, at their arrivall they found the spittes of
Oke of the Savages which had roasted meate a litle
before. And as they viewed the countrey they sawe
divers beastes and foules, as blacke Foxes, Deere, Otters,
great Foules with redde legges, Pengwyns, and certaine
others. But having found no people here at this our
first landing wee went againe on shipboorde, and sayled
farther foure leagues to the West of
Cape Briton, where
wee sawe many Seales. And here having neede of fresh
water we went againe on shore. And passing somewhat
more into the land, wee founde certaine round pondes
artificially made by the Savages to keepe fish in, with
certaine weares in them made to take fish. To these
pondes wee repayred to fill our caske with water. Wee
had not bene long here, but there came one Savage with
blacke long hayre hanging about his shoulders who called
unto us, weaving his handes downewarde towardes his
bellie, using these wordes, Calitogh Calitogh: as wee
drewe towardes him one of our mens musket unawares
shot off: whereupon hee fell downe, and rising up suddenly againe hee cryed thrise with a loude voyce Chiogh,
Chiogh, Chiogh. Thereupon nine or tenne of his fellowes
running right up over the bushes with great agilitie and
swiftnesse came towardes us with white staves in their
handes like halfe pikes, and their dogges of colour blacke
not so bigge as a greyhounde followed them at the heeles;
but wee retired unto our boate without any hurt at all
received. Howbeit one of them brake an hogshead which
wee had filled with fresh water, with a great branche of
a tree which lay on the ground. Upon which occasion
we bestowed halfe a dousen muskets shotte upon them,
which they avoyded by falling flatte to the earth, and
afterwarde retired themselves to the woodes. One of the
Savages, which seemed to bee their Captaine, ware a
long mantle of beastes skinnes hanging on one of his
shoulders. The rest were all naked except their privities,
which were covered with a skinne tyed behinde. After
they had escaped our shotte they made a great fire on
the shore, belike to give their fellowes warning of us.
The kindes of trees that wee noted to bee here, were
goodly Okes, Firre trees of a great height, a kinde of
tree called of us Quickbeame, and Cherie trees, and
diverse other kindes to us unknowne, because wee stayed
not long with diligence to observe them: and there is
great shewe of rosen, pitch, and tarre. Wee found in
both the places where wee went on land abundance of
Raspeses, Strawberies, Hurtes, and herbes of good smell,
and divers good for the skurvie, and grasse very ranke
and of great length. Wee sawe five or sixe boates
sayling to the Southwestwardes of
Cape Briton, which
wee judged to bee Christians, which had some trade that
way. Wee sawe also, while wee were on shore, the
manner of their hanging up of their fish and flesh with
withes to dry in the ayre: they also lay them upon
raftes and hurdles and make a smoake under them, or
a softe fire, and so drie them as the Savages use to doe
in Virginia
.
While wee lay foure leagues South of
Cape Briton
wee sounded and had sixtie fathomes black ozie ground.
And sayling thence Westwarde nine or ten leagues off
the shore, we had twenty foure fathomes redde sande,
and small whitish stones. Wee continued our course so
farre to the Southwest, that wee brought our selves into
the latitude of fourtie foure degrees and an half, having
sayled fiftie or sixtie leagues to the
Southwest of Cape
Briton. We found the current betwene this
Cape Briton
and
Cape Rey to set out toward the Eastsoutheast. In
our course to the West of
Cape Briton we saw exceeding
great store of seales, and abundance of Porposes, whereof
we killed eleven. We sawe Whales also of all sortes
aswell small as great: and here our men tooke many
berded Coddes with one teate underneath, which are like
to the Northeast Cods, and better then those of Newfoundland
.
From our arrivall at the haven of Saint Francis in
Newfoundland
, (which was as is aforesayde the eleventh
of July) we continued beating up and downe on the coast
of Arambec to the West and Southwest of
Cape Briton
untill the twentie eight of September, fully by the space
of eleven weekes: and then by the perswasion of our
Master and certaine others wee shaped our course homeward by the
Isles of the Acores, and came first to Corvo
and Flores
, where beating up and downe, and missing
of expected pray, we sayled by Tercera, and from thence
to Saint Michael, where we sought to boorde a Portugall
shippe, which we found too well appointed for us to
bring along with us, and so being forced to leave them
behinde and having wasted all our victuals, wee were
constrained against our willes to hasten home unto our
narrowe Seas: but it was the two and twentieth of
December before wee could get into the Downes: where
for lacke of winde wee kept our Christmas with dry
breade onely for dropping of our clothes. One thing
very strange hapened in this voyage: to witte, that a
mightie great Whale followed our shippe by the space
of many dayes as we passed by
Cape Razo, which by
no meanes wee coulde chase from our ship, untill one
of our men fell overboord and was drowned, after which
time shee immediatly forsooke us, and never afterward
appeared unto us.
