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The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques,

R >> Richard Hakluyt >> The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques,




Wednesday (24) being Midsummer day, we sent our skiffe aland to sound the
creeke, where they found it almost drie at a low water. And all the Lodias
within were on ground.

Although the harborough were euil, yet the stormie similitude of the
Northerly winds tempted vs to set our sayles, and we let slip a cable and
an anker, and bare with the harborough, for it was then neere a high water:
and as alwaies in such iournies varieties do chance, when we came vpon the
barre in the entrance of the creeke, the wind did shrink so suddenly vpon
vs, that we were not able to lead it in, and before we could haue slatted
the shippe before the winde, we should haue bene on ground on the lee
shore, so that we were constrained to let fall an anker vnder our sailes,
and rode in a very breach, thinking to haue warpt in. Gabriel came out with
his skiffe, and so did sundry others also, shewing their good will to helpe
vs, but all to no purpose, for they were likely to haue bene drowned for
their labour, in so much that I desired Gabriel to lend me his anker,
because our owne ankers were too big for our skiffe to lay out, who sent me
his owne, and borrowed another also and sent it vs. Then we layd out one of
those ankers, with a hawser which he had of 140 fadom long, thinking to
haue warpt in, but it would not be: for as we shorted vpon the said warpe
the anker came home, so that we were faine to beare the end of the warpe,
that we rushed in vpon the other small anker that Gabriel sent aboord, and
layd that anker to seawards: and then betweene these two ankers we
trauersed the ships head to seawards, and set our foresaile and maine
sayle, and when the barke had way, we cut the hawser, and so gate the sea
to our friend, and tryed out al that day with our maine corse.

The Thursday (25) we went roome with Cape S. Iohn, where we found
indifferent good rode for a Northnortheast wind, and for a neede, for a
North and by West winde.

Friday (26) at afternoone we weyed, and departed from thence, the wether
being meetly faire, and the winde at Eastsoutheast, and plied for the place
where we left our cable and anker, and pur hawser: and as soone as we were
at an anker, the foresaid Gabriel came aboord of vs, with 3 or foure more
of their small boats, and brought with them of their Aquauitæ and Meade,
professing vnto me very much friendship, and reioiced to see vs againe,
declaring that they earnestly thought that we had bene lost. This Gabriel
declared vnto me, that they had saued both the ankers and our hauser, and
after we had thus communed, I caused 4 or 5 of them to goe into my cabbin,
where I gaue them figs, and made them such cheere as I could. While I was
thus banketing of them, there came another of their skiffes aboord with one
who was a Keril, [Footnote: Karelian.] whose name afterwards I learned, and
that he dwelt in Colmogro, and Gabriel dwelled in the towne of Cola, which
is not far from the riuers mouth. This foresaid Keril said vnto me that one
of the ankers which I borowed was his, I gaue him thanks for the lone of
it, thinking it had bene sufficient. And as I continued in one accustomed
maner, that if the present which they brought were worth enterteinment they
had it accordingly, he brought nothing with him, and therefore I regarded
him but litle. And thus we ended, and they took their leaue and went
ashore. At their comming ashore, Gabriel and Keril were at vnconuenient
words, and by the eares, as I vnderstand: the cause was because the one had
better enterteinment then the other: but you shal vnderstand that Gabriel
was not able to make his party good, because there were 17 lodias of the
Kerils company who tooke his part, and but 2 of Gabriels company.

The next high water Gabriel and his company departed from thence, and rowed
to their former company and neighbours, which were in number 28 at the
least, and all of them belonging to the riuer Cola.

And as I vnderstood Keril made reckoning that the hawser which was fast in
his anker should haue bene his owne, and at first would not deliuer it to
our boat, insomuch that I sent him worde that I would complaine vpon him,
whereupon he deliuered the hawser to my company.

The next day being Saturday, (27) I sent our boat on shore to fetch fresh
water and wood, and at their comming on shore this Keril welcomed our men
most gently, and also banketed them: and in the meane time caused some of
his men to fill our baricoes with water, and to help our men to beare wood
into their boat: and then he put on his best silke coate, and his coller of
pearles, and came aboord againe, and brought his present with him: and thus
hauing more respect vnto his present then to his person, because I
perceiued him to be vainglorious, I bade him welcome, and gaue him a dish
of figs: and then he declared vnto me that his father was a gentleman, and
that he was able to shew me pleasure, and not Gabriel, who was but a
priests sonne.

After their departure from vs we weied, and plied all the ebbe to the
windewards, the winde being Northerly, and towards night it waxed very
stormy, so that of force we were constrained to go roome with Cape S. Iohn
againe, in which storme wee lost our skiffe at our sterne, that wee bought
at Wardhouse, and there we rode vntil the fourth of Iuly. The latitude of
Cape S. Iohn is 66 degrees 50 minutes. And it is to be noted, that the land
of Cape S. Iohn is of height from the full sea marke, as I iudge, 10
fadomes, being cleane without any trees growing, and also without stones or
rockes, and consists onely of blacke earth, which is so rotten, that if any
of it fall into the sea, it will swimme as though it were a piece of wood.
In which place, about three leagues from the shore you shall not haue aboue
9 fadom water, and clay ground.


Iulie.

Saturday (4) at a Northnorthwest sunne the wind came at Eastnortheast, and
then we weied, and plied to the Northwards, and as we were two leagues shot
past the Cape, we saw a house standing in a valley, which is dainty to be
seene in those parts, and by and by I saw three men on the top of the hil.
Then I iudged them, as it afterwards proued, that they were men which came
from some other place to set traps to take vermin [Footnote: Probably
mountain foxes. Remains of fox-traps are still frequently met with along
the coast of the Polar Sea, where the Russians have carried on hunting.]
for their furres, which trappes we did perceiue very thicke, alongst the
shore as we went.

Sunday (5) at an East sunne we were thwart off the creeke where the Russes
lay, and there came to an anker, and perceiuing the most part of the Lodias
to be gone we thought it not good to tary any longer there, but weyed and
spent all the ebbe, plying to the windewards.

Munday (6) at a South sunne it was high water. All alongst the coast it
floweth little, onely a South moone makes a full sea: and as we were a
weying we espied the Russe Lodias, which we first lost. They came out of a
creeke amongst the sandy hilles, [Footnote: Kija Bay.] which hilles beginne
15 leagues Northnortheast from Cape S. Iohn.

Plying this ebbe to an end, we came (7) to an anker 6 leagues
Northnortheast from the place where we saw the Russes come out: and there
the Russes harboured themselues within a soonke banke, but there was not
water enough for vs.

At a North sunne we weyed and plied to the Northwards, the land lying
Northnortheast, and Southsouthwest, vntill a South sunne, and then we were
in the latitude of 68 degrees and a halfe: and in this latitude ende those
sandy hilles, and the land beginneth to lie North and by West, South and by
East, and Northnorthwest, and to the Westwards, and there the water
beginneth to waxe deepe.

At a Northwest sunne we came to an anker within halfe a league of the
shore, where wee had good plenty of fish, both Haddocks and Cods, riding in
10 fadom water.

Wednesday (8) we weyed, and plyed neerer the headland, which is called
Caninoz, [Footnote: Canin Nos, latitude 68 deg. 30 min. N.] the wind being
at East and by North.

Thursday (9) the wind being soant we turned to windwards the ebbe, to get
about Caninoz: the latitude this day at noone was 68 degrees 40 minutes.

Friday (10) we turned to the windward of the ebbe, but to no purpose: and
as we rode at an anker, we saw the similitude of a storme rising at
Northnorthwest, and could not tell where to get rode nor succor for that
winde, and harborough we knew none: and that land which we rode vnder with
that winde was a lee shore. And as I was musing what was best to be done, I
saw a saile come out of a creeke vnder the foresayd Caninoz, which was my
friend Gabriel, who forsooke his harborough and company, and came as neere
vs as he might, and pointed vs to the Eastwards, and then we weyed and
followed him, and went East and by South, the wind being at Westnorthwest,
and very mistie.

Saturday (11) we went Eastsoutheast and followed Gabriel, and he brought vs
into an harborough called Morgiouets, which is 30 leagues from Caninoz, and
we had vpon the barre going in two fadome and a fourth part: and after we
were past in ouer the barre, it waxed deeper, for we had 5 fadoms, 4 and a
half, and 3 fadom &c. Our barke being mored, I sent some of our men to
shoare to prouide wood, where they had plenty of drift wood, but none
growing: and in this place we found plenty of young foule, as Gulles,
Seapies [Footnote: Probably the little Auk (_Mergulus Alle_, L.)], and
others, whereof the Russes would eate none, whereof we were nothing sory,
for there came the more to our part.

Sunday (12) our men cut wood on shoare, and brought it aboord, and wee
balasted our shippe with stones.

This morning Gabriel saw a smoke on the way, who rowed vnto it with his
skiffe, which smoke was two leagues from the place where we road: and at a
Northwest sunne he came aboord again, and brought with him a Samoed,
[Footnote: This was the first meeting between West Europeans and Samoyeds.]
which was but a young man: his apparell was then strange vnto vs, and he
presented me with three young wild geese, and one young barnacle [Footnote:
_Anser bernicla_, L.].

Munday (13) I sent a man to the maine in Gabriels boat and he brought vs
aboord 8 barricoes of fresh water: the latitude of the said Morgiouets is
sixtie eight degrees and a terce. It floweth there at a Southsouthwest
moone full sea, and hyeth two fadome and a halfe water.

At a Westnorthwest sunne we departed from this place, (14) and went East 25
leagues, and then saw an Island by North and by West of vs eight leagues,
which Island is called Dolgoieue: [Footnote: Dolgoi Island.] and from the
Eastermost part of this Island, there lyeth a sand East and by South 7
leagues long.

Wednesday (15) at a North and by East sunne Swetinoz [Footnote: Swjatoi
Nus.] was South of vs 5 leagues. This day at aftemoone we went in ouer the
dangerous barre of Pechora, and had vpon the barre but one fadome water
[Footnote: The capes at the Mouth of the Petchora, Cape Ruski Savorot, and
Cape Medinski Savorot are very nearly in lat. 69 deg.].

Thursday (16) we road still.

Friday (17) I went on shoare and obserued the variation of the Compasse,
which was three degrees and a halfe from the North to the West: the
latitude this day was, sixtie nine degrees ten minutes.

From two or three leagues to the Eastward of Swetinoz, vntill the entering
of the riuer Pechora, it is all sandie hilles, and towards Pechora the
sandie hilles are very low.

It higheth on the barre of Pechora foure foote water, and it floweth there
at a Southwest moone a full sea.

Munday (20) at a North and by East sunne, we weyed, and came out ouer the
sayd dangerous barre, where we had but fiue foote water, insomuch that wee
found a foote lesse water comming out then wee did going in. I thinke the
reason was, because when we went in the winde was off the sea, which caused
the sands to breake on either side of vs, and we kept in the smoothest
betweene the breaches, which we durst not haue done, except we had seene
the Russes to haue gone in before vs: and at our comming out the winde was
off the shoare, and fayre weather, and then the sands did not appeare with
breaches as at our going in: we thanke God that our ship did draw so little
water.

When we were a seaboord the barre the wind scanted vpon vs, and was at
Eastsoutheast, insomuch that we stopped the ebbes, and plyed all the floods
to the windewards, and made our way Eastnortheast.

Tuesday (21) at a Northwest sunne we thought that we had seen land at East,
or East and by North of vs: which afterwards prooued to be a monstrous
heape of ice.

Within a little more than halfe an houre after we first saw this ice, we
were inclosed within it before we were aware of it, which was a fearefull
sight to see: for, for the space of sixe houres, it was as much as we could
doe to keepe our shippe aloofe from one heape of ice, and beare roomer from
another, with as much wind as we might beare a coarse. And when we had past
from the danger of this ice, we lay to the Eastwards close by the wind.

The next day (22) we were againe troubled with the ice.

Thursday (23) being calme, we plyed to the windwards, the winde being
Northerly. We had the latitude this day at noone in 70 degrees 11 minutes.

We had not runne past two houres Northwest, the wind being at
Northnortheast and Northeast and by North a good gale, but we met againe
with another heape of ice: we wethered the head of it, and lay a time to
the seawards, and made way West 6 leagues.

Friday (24) at a Southeast sunne we cast about to the Eastwards, the wind
being at Northnortheast: the latitude this day at noone was 70 degrees 15
minutes.

On S. Iames his day (25) bolting to the windewardes, we had the latitude at
noone in seuenty degrees twentie minutes. The same day at a Southwest
sunne, there was a monstrous Whale aboord of us, so neere to our side that
we might haue thrust a sworde or any other weapon in him, which we durst
not doe for feare hee should haue ouerthrowen our shippe: and then I called
my company together, and all of vs shouted, and with the crie that we made
he departed from vs: there was as much aboue water of his backe as the
bredth of our pinnesse, and at his falling downe, he made such a terrible
noyse in the water that a man would greatly haue maruelled, except hee had
knowen the cause of it: but God be thanked, we were quietly deliuered of
him. [Footnote: Of the various species of Whales, the Narwhal occurs very
rarely off Novaya Zemlya. It is more common at Hope Island, and Witsen
states that large herds have been seen between Spitzbergen and Novaya
Zemlya. The White Whale (_Delphinapterus leucas_, Pallas), on the other
hand, occurs in large shoals on the coasts of Spitzbergen and Novaya
Zemlya. In 1871, 2167 White Whales were taken by the Tromsoe fleet alone,
an estimated value of £6500. In 1880, one vessel had 300 whales at one cast
of the net, in Magdalena Bay. In former times they appear to have been
caught at the mouth of the Yenisej, which river they ascend several hundred
miles. Nordenskiold also saw large shoals off the Taimur peninsula. Other
species occur seldom off Novaya Zemlya. It is rather amusing to find the
meeting with a whale mentioned as very remarkable and dangerous. When
Nearchus sailed with the fleet of Alexander the Great from the Indus to the
Red Sea, a whale also caused so great a panic that it was only with
difficulty that the commander could restore order among the frightened
seamen, and get the rowers to row to the place where the Whale spouted
water and caused a commotion in the sea like that of a whirlwind. All the
men shouted, struck the water with their oars, and sounded their trumpets,
so that the large, and, in the judgment of the Macedonian Heroes, terrible
animal, was frightened. _(See the "Indica" of Nearchus, preserved to us by
Arrian, an excellent translation of which, by J. W. McCrindle, appeared in
1879.)_ Quite otherwise was the Whale regarded on Spitsbergen some few
years after Burrough's voyage. At the sight of a Whale all men were beside
themselves with joy, and rushed down into the boats in order to attack and
kill the valuable, animal. The fishery was carried on with such success,
that the right Whale _(Balaena mysticetus L.)_, whose pursuit then gave
full employment to ships by hundreds, and to men by tens of thousands, is
now practically extirpated. As this Whale still occurs in no limited
numbers in other parts of the Polar Sea, this state of things shows how
easily an animal is driven away from a region where it is so much hunted.
Captain Svend Foeyn, from 1864 to 1881, exclusively hunted another species
(_Balænoptera Sibbaldii_ Gray), on the coast of Finmark; and other species
still follow shoals of fish on the Norwegian coast, where they sometimes
strand and are killed in considerable numbers. (Nordenskiöld's _Voyage of
the Vega_, vol. I., p. 165).] And a little after we spied certaine Islands,
with which we bare, and found good harbor in 15 or 18 fadome, and blacke
oze: we came to an anker at a Northeast sunne, and named the Island S.
Iames his Island, [Footnote: Evidently one of the Islands at the south of
Novaya Zemlya.] where we found fresh water.

Sunday, (26) much wind blowing we rode still.

Munday (27) I went on shoare and tooke the latitude, which was 70 degrees
42 minutes: the variation of the compasse was 7 degrees and a halfe from
the North to the West.

Tuesday (28) we plyed to the Westwards alongst the shoare, the wind being
at Northwest, and as I was about to come to anker, we saw a sayle comming
about the point, whereunder we thought to haue ankered. [Sidenote: The
relation of Loshak.] Then I sent a skiffe aboord of him, and at their
coming aboord they tooke acquaintance of them and the chiefe man said hee
had bene in our company in the riuer Cola, and also declared unto them that
we were past the way which should bring vs to the Ob. This land, sayd he,
is called Noua Zembla, that is to say, the New land: and then he came
aboord himselfe with his skiffe, and at his comming aboord he told me the
like, and sayd further, that in this Noua Zembla is the highest mountaine
in the worlde, as he thought, [Footnote: The highest mountains in Novaya
Zemlya hardly exceed 3500 feet.] and that Camen Boldshay, which is on the
maine of Pechora, is not to be compared to this mountaine, but I saw it
not: he made me also certaine demonstrations of the way to the Ob, and
seemed to make haste on his owne way, being very lothe to tarie, because
the yeere was farre past, and his neighbour had fet Pechora, and not he: so
I gaue him a steele glasse, two pewter spoones, and a paire of veluet
sheathed knives: and then he seemed somewhat the more willing to tary, and
shewed me as much as he knew for our purpose: he also gaue me 17 wilde
geese, and shewed me that foure of their lodias were driuen perforce from
Caninoze to this Noua Zembla. This mans name was Loshak.

Wednesday, (29) as we plied to the Eastwards, we espied another saile,
which was one of this Loshaks company, and we bare roome, and spake with
him, who in like sort tolde vs of the Ob, as the other had done.

Thursday, (30) we plied to the Eastwards, the winde being at Eastnortheast.

Friday, (31) the gale of winde began to increase, and came Westerly
withall, so that by a Northwest sunne we were at an anker among the Islands
of Vaigats, where we saw two small lodias, the one of them came aboard of
vs, and presented me with a great loafe of bread: and they told me that
they were all of Colmogro, except one man that dwelt at Pechora, who seemed
to be the chiefest among them in killing of the Morse.

There were some of their company on shoare, which did chase a white beare
ouer the high clifs into the water, which beare the lodia that was aboard
of vs killed in our sight.

This day there was a great gale of wind at North, and we saw so much ice
driuing a seaboord, that it was then no going to sea.


August.

Saturday (1) I went ashore, and there I saw three morses that they had
killed: they held one tooth of a Morse, which was not great, at a roble,
and one white beare skin at three robles and two robles: they further tolde
me, that there were people called Samoeds on the great Island, and that
they would not abide them nor vs, who haue no houses, but only couerings
made of Deere skins, set ouer them with stakes: they are men expert in
shooting, [Footnote: That the Samoyeds were archers is shewn by old
drawings, one of which I reproduce from Linschoten. Now the bow has
completely gone out of use, for Nordenskiöld did not see a single archer.
Wretched old flint firelocks are, however, common.] and have great plenty
of Deere.

This night there fell a cruell storme, the wind being at West.

Sunday (2) we had very much winde, with plenty of snow, and we rode with
two ankers a head.

[Illustration: Samoiedarum, trahis a rangiferis protractis insidentium. Nec
non Idolorum ab ijsdem cultorum effigies. SAMOYED SLEIGH AND IDOLS. After
an old Dutch engraving.]

Munday (3) we weyed and went roome with another Island, which was fiue
leagues Eastnortheast from vs, and there I met againe with Loshak, and went
on shore with him, and hee brought me to a heap of the Samoeds idols, which
were in number aboue 300, the worst and the most vnartificiall worke that
euer I saw: the eyes and mouthes of sundrie of them were bloodie, they had
the shape of men, women and children, very grosly wrought, and that which
they had made for other parts, was also sprinckled with blood. Some of
their idols were an old sticke with two or three notches, mode with a knife
in it. [Footnote: The accompanying _fac-simile_ of a quaint old engraving
of a Samoyed sleigh and idols gives an excellent idea of both.] I saw much
of the footing of the sayd Samoeds, and of the sleds that they ride in.
There was one of their sleds broken, and lay by the heape of idols, and
there I saw a deers skinne which the foules had spoyled: and before
certaine of their idols blocks were made as high as their mouthes, being
all bloody, I thought that to be the table whereon they offered their
sacrifice: I saw also the instruments, whereupon they had roasted flesh,
and as farre as I could perceiue, they make their fire directly under the
spit.

Loshak being there present tolde me that these Samoeds were not so hurtful
as they of Ob are, and that they haue no houses, as indeede I saw none, but
onely tents made of Deers skins, which they vnderproppe with stakes and
poles: their boates are made of Deers skins, and when they come on shoare
they cary their boates with them upon their backes: for their cariages they
haue no other beastes to serue them, but Deere onely. As for bread and
corne they haue none, except the Russes bring it to them: their knowledge
is very base, for they know no letter. [Footnote: This is one of the oldest
accounts of the Samoyeds we possess. Giles Fletcher, who in 1588 was Queen
Elizabeth's Ambassador to the Czar, writes, in his accounts of Russia, of
the Samoyeds in the following way:--

"The _Samoyt_ hath his name (as the _Russe_ saith) of eating himselfe: as
if in times past they lived as the _Cannibals_, eating one another. Which
they make more probable, because at this time they eate all kind of raw
flesh, whatsoeuer it bee, euen the very carrion that lyeth in the ditch.
But as the _Samoits_ themselves will say, they were called _Samoit_, that
is, _of themselves_, as though they were _Indigenæ_, or people bred upon
that very soyle that never changed their seate from one place to another,
as most Nations have done. They are clad in Seale-skinnes, with the hayrie
side outwards downe as low as the knees, with their Breeches and
Netherstocks of the same, both men and women. They are all Blacke hayred,
naturally beardless. And therefore the Men are hardly discerned from the
Women by their lookes: saue that the Women wear a locke of hayre down along
both their eares." (_Treatise of Russia and the adjoining Regions_, written
by Doctor Giles Fletcher, Lord Ambassador from the late Queen, Everglorious
Elizabeth, to Theodore, then Emperor of Russia, A.D. 1588. _Purchas_, iii.
p. 413.)

In nearly the same way the Samoyeds are described by G. De Veer, in his
account of Barents's Second Voyage in 1595.

Serebrenikoff, according to Nordensköld, maintains that _Samodin_ should be
written instead of _Samoyed_. For _Samoyed_ means "self eater," while
_Samodin_ denotes an "individual," "one who cannot be mistaken for
another," and, as the Samoyeds were never cannibals, Serebrenikoff gives a
preference to the latter name, which is used by the Russians at Chabarova,
and appears to be a literal translation of the name which the Samoyeds give
themselves. Nordenskiöld, however, considers it probable that the old
tradition of man-eaters (_androphagi_), living in the north, which
onginated with Herodotus, and was afterwards universally adopted in the
geographical literature of the Middle Ages, reappears in Russianised form
in the name _Samoyed_. With all due respect for Nordenskiöld, I am inclined
to agree with Serebrenikoff. In the account of the journey which the
Italian minorite, Joannes de Piano Carpini, undertook in High Asia in
1245-47, an extraordinary account of the Samoyeds and neighbouring tribes
is given. (See Vol. II. of these Collections, pp. 28 and 95).--I give a
very curious engraving of Samoyeds from Schleissing.--Nordenskiöld inserts,
in his _Voyage of the Vega_, the following interesting communication from
Professor Ahlquist, of Helsingfors:--.

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