countrey hath to a present sauor and returne of gaine, bent his whole
indeuour only to find a Mine to fraight his ships, and to leave the rest
(by Gods helpe) hereafter to be well accomplished. And therefore the
twentie sixe of Iuly he departed ouer to the Northland, with the two
barkes, leauing the Ayde ryding in Iackmans sound; and ment (after hee had
found conuenient harborow, and fraight there for his ships) to discouer
further for the passage. The Barkes came the same night to ancker in a
sound vpon the Northerland, where the tydes did runne so swift, and the
place was so subiect to indrafts of yce; that by reason thereof they were
greatly endangered, and hauing found a very rich Myne, as they supposed,
and got almost twentie tunne of Ore together, vpon the 28 of Iuly the yce
came driuing into the sound where the Barkes rode, in such sort, that they
were therewith greatly distressed. And the Gabriell riding asterne the
Michael, had her Cable gauld asunder in the hawse with a peece of driuing
yce, and lost another ancker, and hauing but one cable and ancker left, for
she had lost two before, and the yce still driuing vpon her, she was (by
Gods helpe) well fenced from the danger of the rest, by one great Iland of
yce, which came a ground hard a head of her, which if it had not so
chanced, I thinke surely shee had bene cast vpon the rockes with the yce.
The Michael mored ancker vpon this great yce, and roade vnder the lee
thereof: but about midnight, by the weight of it selfe, and the setting of
the Tydes, the yce brake within halfe the Barkes length, and made vnto the
companie within boord a sodaine and fearefull noyse. [Sidenote: Beares
sound. Lecesters Iland.] The next flood toward the morning we weyed ancker,
and went further vp the straights, and leauing our Ore behind vs which we
had digged, for hast left the place by the name of Beares sound after the
masters name of the Michaell, and named the Iland Lecesters Iland.
[Sidenote: A tombe with a dead mans bones in it.] In one of the small
Ilands here we founde a Tombe, wherein the bones of a dead man lay
together, and our Sauage Captiue being with vs, and being demanded by