Purchas his pilgrimes. part 3 In fiue bookes. The first, contayning the voyages and peregrinations made by ancient kings, patriarkes, apostles, philosophers, and others, to and thorow the remoter parts of the knowne world: enquiries also of languages and religions, especially of the moderne diuersified professions of Christianitie. The second, a description of all the circum-nauigations of the globe. The third, nauigations and voyages of English-men, alongst the coasts of Africa ... The fourth, English voyages beyond the East Indies, to the ilands of Iapan, China, Cauchinchina, the Philippinæ with others ... The fifth, nauigations, voyages, traffiques, discoueries, of the English nation in the easterne parts of the world ... The first part.

CHAP. IIII. A briefe Declaration of BARENTS his second Nauigation, made in Anno [ 20] 1595. behinde Norway, Muscouia, and Tartaria, written by GERAT DE VEER.

THe foure Ships aforesaid, being returned home about Haruest-time, in Anno 1594. they were in good hope that the Voyage aforesaid would bee done, by passing along the Straights of Wey-gates, and specially by the report made by the two Ships of Zelandt, and Enck-huysen, wherein Iohn Huyghen of Linschoten was Com∣mittee, who declared the manner of their trauell in such sort, that the Generall States and Prince Maurice resolued, in the beginning of the next yeere to pre∣pare [ 30] certayne Ships, not onely (as they went before) to discouer the passage, but to send certayn Wares and Merchandizes thither, wherein the Merchants might lade what Wares they would, with certaine Factors to sell the said Wares, in such places as they should arriue, neither paying Fraight nor Custome. Peter Plantius a learned Cosmographer, being a great furtherer and setter forward of this Voyage, and was their chiefe Instructer therein, setting downe the scituation of the Coasts of Tartaria, Cathaia, & China; but how they lye it is not yet sufficiently Discouered, for that the courses and rules by him set downe, were not fully effected, by meanes of some in∣conueniences that fell out, which by reason of the shortnesse of time could not bee holpen.

In Anno 1595. the Generall States of the vnited Prouinces, and Prince Maurice, caused seuen Ships to bee prepared to sayle through the Wey-gates, or the Straights of Nassaw, to the King∣dome [ 40] of Cathaia and China: two out of Amsterdam, two out of Zelandt, two out of Enck-huysen, and one out of Rotterdam: sixe of them laden with diuers kindes of Wares, Merchandizes, and with Money and Factors, to sell the said Wares; the seuenth being a Pinnasse, that had Com∣mission, when the other Ships were past about the Cape de Tabin (which is the furthest point of Tartaria) or so farre, that they might sayle forth Southward, without any let or hinderance of the Ice, to turne backe againe, and to bring newes thereof: and I being in William Barents Ship that was our chiefe Pilot,* 1.1 and Iames Hemskerke chiefe Factor, thought good to write downe the same in order, as it is hereafter declared, as I did the first Voyage, according to the course and stretching of the Land as it lyeth.

First, after we had beene mustered at Amsterdam, and euery man taken an Oath, that was then [ 50] purposely ministred vnto vs; vpon the eighteene of Iune wee sayled to the Texel, from thence to put to Sea, with other Ships that were appointed to meet vs at a certayne day; and so to be∣gin our Voyage in the name of God. The second of Iuly wee set sayle out of the Texel. The fifth of August, the North Cape lay about two miles East from vs, and when the Sunne was North-west, the Mother and her Daughters lay Southward from vs foure miles.

The seuenteenth, wee saw great store of Ice, all along the Coast of Noua Zembla, and casting out the Lead, had 75. fathom soft ground. After that we held diuers courses because of the Ice, and sayled South-east and by East, & South South-east, for the space of eighteene miles, till the eigh∣teenth of August, when the Sunne was East, and then we cast out the lead againe, and found 30. fathome soft ground, and within two houres after that, fathome, red sand, with small shelles: [ 60] three Glasses after that we had ground at twentie fathome, red sand, with blacke shels, as before: then wee saw two Ilands, which they of Enck-huysen gaue the names of Prince Maurice, and his Brother, which lay from vs South-east three miles, being low Land, and then wee sayled eight miles, till the Sun was South. Then we sayled East, and oftentimes casting out the lead, we found

twentie, nineteene, eighteene, and seuenteene fathome deep, good ground mixed with black shels, and saw the Wey-gates (the Sunne being West) which lay East North-east from vs about fiue miles, and after that we sayled about eight miles.

Then we sayled vnder 70. degrees, vntill we came to the Wey-gates, most part through bro∣ken Ice, and when we got to Wey-gates, we cast out our Lead, and for a long time found thirteene and fourteene fathome, soft ground, mixed with blacke shels, not long after that we cast out the Lead and found ten fathome deepe, the wind being North, and we forced to hold stifly aloofe, in regard of the great quantitie of Ice, till about mid-night, then were forced to wind Northward, because of certaine Rocks that lay on the Southside of Wey-gates, right before vs, about a mile and a halfe, hauing ten fathome deepe: then we changed our course, and sayled West North-west for [ 10] the space of foure Glasses, after that we woond about againe East, and East and by South, and so entred into VVey-gates, and as wee went in, wee cast out the Lead, and found seuen fathome deepe, little more or lesse, till the nineteenth of August, and then the Sunne being South-east, we entred into the VVey-gates, in the Road, the wind being North.* 1.2 The right Channell betweene the Image point and the Samuters Land was full of Ice, so that it was not well to bee past tho∣row, and so we went into the Road (which we called the Traen Bay, because we found store of Traen-oyle there, this is a good Bay for the course of the Ice, and good almost for all winds, and we may sayle so farre into it as we will, at foure, fiue, and three fathome, good Anchor-ground, on the East side it is deepe water.

The twentieth of August, the height of the Sunne being taken with the Crosse-staffe, wee [ 20] found that it was eleuated aboue the Horizon 69. degrees 21. minutes, when it was South-west and by South, being at the highest, or before it beganne to descend. The one and twentieth of August, we went on Land within the VVey-gates with foure and fiftie men,* 1.3 to see the situation of the Countrey, and being two miles within the Land we found many Vel-werck, Traen, and such like Wares, and diuers foot-steps of men, and Deere; whereby wee perceiued that some men dwelt there abouts, or else vsed to come thither. And to assure vs the more thereof, wee might perceiue it by the great number of Images, which we found there vpon the Image or Beelthooke,* 1.4 (so called by vs) in great abundance, whereof ten dayes after wee were better informed by the Samuters and the Russians, when wee spake with them. And when wee entred further into the Land, we vsed all the meanes we could, to see if we could find any houses or men, by whom we [ 30] might be informed of the situation of the Sea there abouts, whereof afterward we had better in∣telligence by the Samuters; that told vs, that there are certayne men dwelling on the VVey-gates, and vpon Noua Zembla, but we could neither find men, houses, nor any other things, so that to haue better information, wee went with some of our men further South-east into the Land; towards the Sea-side, and as we went, we found a path-way made with mens feet in the Mosse or Marsh-ground, about halfe knee deepe, for that going so deepe we felt hard ground vn∣der our feet, which at the deepest was no higher then our shooes, and as we went forward to the Sea-coast, we were exceeding glad, thinking that we had seene a passage open, where we might get through, because we saw so little Ice there: and in the Euening entring into our ship againe, we shewed them that newes. Meane-time, our Master had sent out a Boat to see if the Tarta∣rian [ 40] Sea was open, but it could not get into the Sea because of the Ice, yet they rowed to the Crosse-point, and there let the Boat lye, and went ouer the Land to the West point, and there perceiued that the Ice in the Tartarian Sea, lay full vpon the Russian Coasts, and in the mout•• of VVey-gates.

The three and twentieth of August we found a Lodgie, or Boat of Pitzore, which was sewed together with Bast or Ropes, that had beene Northward to seeke for some Sea-horses Teeth, Traen, and Geese, which they fetcht with their Boat, to lade in certaine shippes that were to come out of Russia through VVey-gates. Which ships they said (when they spake with vs) were to sayle into the Tartarian Sea, by the Riuer of Oby, to a place called Vgolita in Tartaria, there to stay all Winter, as they vsed to doe euery yeere: and told vs that it would yet bee nine or ten [ 50] Weekes ere it began to freeze in that place, and that when it once beganne to freeze, it would freeze so hard, that as then men might go ouer the Sea into Tartaria (along vpon the Ice) which they called Mermare.

The foure and twentieth of August in the morning betimes, we went on board of the Lodgie, to haue further information and instruction of the Sea, on the Eastside of VVey-gates, and they gaue vs good instruction, such as you haue heard.

The fiue and twentieth of August we went againe to the Lodgie, and in friendly manner spake with them, we for our parts offering them friendship; and then they gaue vs eight fat Geese, that lay in the bottome of their Boat: we desired that one or two of them would goe with vs a∣board [ 60] our ship, and they willingly went with vs to the number of seuen; and being in our ship, they wondred much at the greatnesse and furni••ure of our ship: and after they had seene and loo∣ked into it in euery place, we set Fish, Butter and Cheese before them to eate, but they refused it; saying, that that day was a Fasting day with them, but at last when they saw some of our Pickled Herrings, they eate them both heads, tayles, skinnes, and guts, and hauing eaten thereof,

we gaue them a small Firkin of Herrings, for the which they gaue vs great thankes, knowing not what friendship they should doe vs to requite our courtesie, and wee brought them with our Pinnasse into the Traen Bay. About Noone we hoysed vp our Anchors with a West North-west wind; the course or stretching of VVey-gates, is East to Cruis point, and then North-east to the Twist point, and somewhat more Easterly: From thence the Land of Wey-gates, reacheth North North-east, and North and by East, and then North, and somewhat Westerly, wee sayled North-east and Eastward two miles, by the Twist point, but then we were compelled to saile backe againe, because of the great store of Ice, and tooke our course to our Road aforesaid: and sayling backe againe we found a good place by the Crosse point, to anchor in that night. The six and twentieth of August in the morning we hoysed Anchor, and put out our fork-saile, and so [ 10] sailed to our old Road, and there to stay for a more conuenient time.

* 1.5The eight and twentie, nine and twentie, and thirtieth of August till the one and thirtieth, the wind for the most part was South-west, and VVilliam Barents our Captaine sailed to the South-side of VVey-gates, and there went on Land, where we found certaine Wildmen (called Samuters) and yet not altogether wilde, for they being twentie in number, staid and spake with our men, being but nine together, about a mile within the Land, our men not thinking to find any men there (for that we had at other times beene on Land in the VVey-gates, and saw none) at last, it being mistie weather, they perceiued men, fiue and fiue in a company, and wee were hard by them before we knew it: then our Interpretour went alone towards them to speake with them; which they perceiuing, sent one towards vs, who comming almost to our men, tooke [ 20] an Arrow out of his Quiuer, offering to shoot at him; wherewith our Interpretor, being with∣out Armes, was afraid, and cryed vnto him, saying (in Russian speech;) Shoote not, we are friends: which the other hearing, cast his Bow and Arrowes to the ground, therewith giuing him to vnderstand that he was well content to speake with our man: which done, our man called to him once againe, and said: We are friends: whereunto he made answere and said; then you are wel∣come: and saluting one the other, bended both their heads downe towards the ground, after the Russian manner: this done, our Interpretor questioned with him, about the situation and stret∣ching of the Sea East-ward through the Streights of Wey-gates;* 1.6 whereof he gaue vs good instru∣ction, saying: that when they should haue past a point of land about fiue daies sailing from thence, shewing North-eastward; that after that, there is a great Sea (shewing towards the South-east [ 30] vpward,) saying, that he knew it very well, for that one had beene there that was sent thither by their King with certaine Souldiers, whereof he had beene Captaine.

* 1.7The manner of their Apparell is, like as we vse to paint Wildmen, but they are not wilde; for they are of reasonable judgement: they are apparelled in Harts skinnes from the head to the feet, vnlesse it be the principallest of them, which are apparelled, whether they be men or wo∣men, like vnto the rest, as aforesaid, vnlesse it be on their heads, which they couer with certaine coloured Cloth lined with Furre: the rest weare Caps of Harts or Bucks skinnes, the rough side outwards,* 1.8 which stand close to their heads, and are very fit. They weare long Haire, which they pleate and fold, and let it hang downe vpon their backes. They are (for the most part all) short and low of stature, with broad flat faces, small eyes, short legs, their knees standing outwards; [ 40] and are very quicke to goe and leape. They trust not Strangers; for although that wee shewed them all the courtesie and friendship that wee could, yet they trusted vs not much: which wee perceiued hereby, that as vpon the first of September wee went againe on Land to them, and that one of our men desired to see one of their Bowes: they refused it, making a signe that they would not doe it.* 1.9 Hee that they called their King, had Centinels standing abroad, to see what was done in the Countrey, and what was bought and sold: At last, one of our men went nee∣rer to one of the Centinels, to speake with him, and offered him great friendship, according to their accustomed manner, withall giuing him a Bisket; which he with great thankes tooke, and presently eate it; and while hee eate it, hee still lookt diligently about him on all sides what was done. [ 50]

* 1.10Their Sleds stood alwayes readie with one or two Harts in them, that runne so swiftly with one or two men in them, that our Horses are not able to follow them. One of our men shot a Musket towards the Sea, wherewith they were in so great feare, that they ranne and leapt like mad men: yet at last, they satisfied themselues, when they perceiued that it was not malicious∣ly done to hurt them: and we told them by our Interpretor, that we vsed our Peeces in stead of Bowes; whereat they wondered, because of the great blow and noyse that it gaue and made: and to shew them what wee could doe therewith, one of our men tooke a flat stone about halfe a handfull broad, and set it vpon a Hill a good way off from him: which they perceiuing, and thinking that we meant some-what thereby, fiftie or sixtie of them gathered round about vs: and yet some-what farre off, wherewith hee that had the Peece, shot it off, and with the Bullet smote the stone in sunder: whereat they wondred much more then before. [ 60]

* 1.11After that, wee tooke our leaues one of the other, with great friendship on both sides; and when we were in our Pinnasse, wee all put off our Hats, and bowed our heads vnto them, soun∣ding our Trumpet: They (in their manner) saluting vs also, and then went to their Sleds againe.

And after they were gone from vs, and were somewhat within the Land, one of them came riding to the shoare, to fetch a rough-hewed Image, that our men had taken off the shoare,* 1.12 and carryed into their Boate: and when hee was in our Boate, and perceiued the Image, he made vs a signe that wee had not done well to take away that Image: Which we beholding, gaue it to him againe: Which when hee had receiued, he placed it vpon a Hill right by the Sea side, and tooke it not with him, but sent a Sled to fetch it from thence: and as farre as wee could perceiue, they esteemed that Image to be their God; for that right ouer against that place in the Wey-gates, which wee called Beelthooke, we found certayne hundreds of such carued Images, all rough about the Heads, being somewhat round, and in the middle,* 1.13 hauing a little hill in stead of a Nose; and about the Nose two cuts, in place of Eyes; and vnder the Nose a cut, in place of a [ 10] Mouth. Before the Images, wee found great store of Ashes, and bones of Harts: whereby it is to bee supposed, that there they offered vnto them.

The second of September, a little before Sunne rising, wee put forth an Anchor to get out, for that the winde as then blew South South-west; it being good weather to get out, and ill weather to lye still: for wee lay vnder a low Banke. The Admirall and Vice-admirall seeing vs making out, began also to hoyse their Anchors, and to set sayle. When wee put out our Focke-sayle, the Sunne was East and by South: and then wee sayled to the Crosse-point, and there wee cast Anchor to stay for the Vice-admirals Pinnasse; which with much labour and paines, in time got out of the Ice, by often casting out of their Anchor: and in the Eeuening shee got to vs: in the Morning about two houres before Sunne rising we set sayle, and by Sunne [ 20] rising, wee got within a mile Eastward of the Twist-point, and sayled Northward sixe miles, till the Sunne was South. Then wee were forced to wind about, because of the great quantitie of Ice, and the Myst that then fell, at which time the winde blew so vncertayne, that we could hold no course, but were forced continually to winde and turne about, by reason of the Ice, and the vnconstantnesse of the winde, together with myst, so that our course was vncertayne, and wee supposed that we had sayled Southward vp towards the Samuters Countrey, and then held our course South-west, till the watchers were North-west from vs; then we came to the point of the States Iland, lying Eastward about a Musket shot from the land, hauing 13. fathom deepe.

The fourth of September, wee hoysed Anchor because of the Ice, and sayled betweene the firme Land and the States Iland, where we lay close by the States Iland at foure and fiue fathom [ 30] deepe, and made our Ship fast with a Cable cast on the shoare,* 1.14 and there wee were safe from the course of the Ice, and diuers times went on land to get Hares, whereof there were many in that Iland. The sixth of September, some of our men went on shoare vpon the firme land to seeke for Stones, which are a kinde of Diamond, whereof there are many also in the States Iland: and while they were seeking the Stones, two of our men lying together in one place, a great leane white Beare came suddenly stealing out, and caught one of them fast by the necke, who not knowing what it was that tooke him by the necke, cryed out and sayd; Who is that that pulls mee so by the necke? wherewith the other, that lay not farre from him;* 1.15 lifted vp his head to see who it was, and perceiuing it to bee a monstrous Beare, cryed out and sayd, Oh Mate! it is a Beare, and therewith presently rose vp and ranne away.

[ 40] The Beare at the first falling vpon the man, bit his head in sunder, and suckt out his blood, wherewith the rest of the men that were on the Land, being about twentie in number, ranne presently thither, either to saue the man, or else to driue the Beare from the dead body: and ha∣uing charged their Pieces and bent their Pikes, set vpon her, that still was deuouring the man,* 1.16 but perceiuing them to come towards her, fiercely and cruelly ranne at them, and got another of them out from the Companie which shee tore in pieces, wherwith all the rest ranne away.

We perceiuing out of our Ship and Pinnasse, that our men ranne to the Sea-side to saue them∣selues, with all speed entred into our Boates, and rowed as fast wee could to the shoare to relieue our men. Where being on Land, we beheld the cruell spectacle of our two dead men, that had beene so cruelly killed and torne in pieces by the Beare, wee seeing that, incouraged our men to [ 50] goe backe againe with vs, and with Pieces, Curt••laxes, and Halfe-pikes, to set vpon the Beare, but they would not all agree thereunto: some of them saying, our men are already dead, and we shall get the Beare well enough, though we oppose not our selues into so open danger, if wee might saue our fellowes liues, then wee would make haste, but now we need not make sch speed, but take her at an aduantage, with most securitie for our selues, for we haue to doe with a cruell, fierce, and rauenous Beast. Whereupon three of our men went forward, the Beare still de∣uouring her prey, not once fearing the number of our men, and yet they were thirtie at the least: the three that went forward in that sort, were Cornelius Iacobson, Master of William Barents ship, William Gysen, Pylot of the Pinnasse, and Hans van Nuflen, William Barents, Purser: and after [ 60] that the sayd Master and Pylot had shot three times and mist, the Purser stepping somewhat further forward, and seeing the Beare to be within the length of a shot, presently leuelled his Piece, and discharging it at the Beare, shot her into the head betweene both the eyes, and yet she held the man still fast by the necke, and lifted vp her head with the man in her mouth, but shee began somwhat to stagger, wherewith the Purser and a Scottish-man drew out their Curtelaxes▪

and strooke at her so hard, that their Curtelaxes burst, and yet she would not leaue the man, at last William Geysen went to them,* 1.17 and with all his might strooke the Beare vpon the snout with his Piece, at which time the Beare fell to the ground, making a great noyse, and William Geysen lea∣ping vpon her cut her throat. The seuenth of September, wee buried the dead bodies of our men in the States Iland, and hauing stayed the Beare, carryed her Skin to Amsterdam.

The ninth of September, we set sayle from the States Iland, but the Ice came in so thicke and with such force, that we could not get through, so that at Eeuening we came backe againe to the States Iland, the winde being Westerly. There the Admirall and the Pinnasse of Rotterdam, fell on ground by certayne Rockes, but got off againe without any hurt.

The tenth of September, we sayled againe from the States Iland towards the Wey-gates, and sent two Boates into the Sea, to certifie vs what store of Ice was abroad: and that Eeuening wee [ 10] came all together into Wey-gates,* 1.18 and Anchored by the Twist-point. The eleuenth of September in the Morning, we sayled againe into the Tartarian Sea, but we fell into great store of Ice, so that we sayled backe againe to the Wey-gates, and Anchored by the Crosse-point, and about midnight we saw a Russian Lodgie, that sayled from the B••••lt-point towards the Samuters Land. The thir∣teenth of September, the Sunne being South, there began a great storme to blow out of the South South-west, the weather being mistie, melancholy, and snowie, and the storme increasing more and more, we draue through.

The fourteenth of September, the weather began to bee somewhat clearer, the winde being North-west, and the storme blowing stiffe out of the Tartarian Sea, but at Eeuening it was faire weather, and then the wind blew North-east, the same day our men went on the other side of [ 20] Wey-gates, on the firme land, to take the depth of the Channell, and entred into the Bough be∣hind the Ilands, where there stood a little House made of wood, and a great fall of water into the land. The same Morning we hoysed vp our Anchor, thinking once againe to try what wee could doe to further our Voyage, but our Admirall being of another minde, lay still till the fif∣teenth of September. The same day in the Morning, the winde draue in from the East-end of the Wey-gates, whereby we were forced presently to hoyse Anchors, and the same day sayled out from the West-end of the Wey-gates, with all our Fleet, and made homewards againe, and that day past by the Ilands called Matfloe and Delgoy,* 1.19 and that night we sayled twelue miles, North-west and by West, till Saturday in the morning, and then the winde fell North-east, and it be∣gan [ 30] to Snow. We saw the point of Candy••aes, lying South-east from vs, and then wee had seuen and twentie fathom deepe, red sand with blacke shels.

The nine and twentieth of September, in the Eeuening entred into Ward-house, and there we stayed till the tenth of October. And that day we set sayle out of Ward-house, and vpon the eigh∣teenth of Nouember, we arriued in the Maes.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Iames Hems∣kerke famous for the Gibral∣ter exploit.
• * 1.2

  Image point. Samoyeds land. Traen Bay.
• * 1.3

  They goe o•• Land.
• * 1.4

  Images.
• * 1.5

  They speake with Samoyeds.
• * 1.6

  Sea open.
• * 1.7

  Samoyeds ap∣parell.
• * 1.8

  Haire, person, stature.
• * 1.9

  Their King.
• * 1.10

  Their Sleds.
• * 1.11

  Departure.
• * 1.12

  Image.
• * 1.13

  Hundreds of ill shapen Ima∣ges.
• * 1.14

  States-Iland▪
• * 1.15

  A Beare kill•• two men.
• * 1.16

  Her stoutnesse▪
• * 1.17

  They kill the Beare.
• * 1.18

  Twist-point.
• * 1.19

  Matfloe and Delgoy.