owne dwelling: [Sidenote: A Desert countrey. Fynnes.] whereas continually
thorowout all his voyage he had euermore on his steereboord, a wildernesse
and desert countrey, except that in some places, he saw a few fishers,
fowlers, and hunters, which were all Fynnes: and all the way vpon his
leereboord was the maine ocean. [Sidenote: Biarmia.] The Biarmes had
inhabited and tilled their countrey indifferent well, notwithstanding he
was afrayed to go vpon shore. [Sidenote: Terfynnes.] But the countrey of
the Terfynnes lay all waste, and not inhabited, except it were, as we haue
sayd, whereas dwelled certeine hunters, fowlers, and fishers. The Biarmes
tolde him a number of stories both of their owne countrey, and of the
countreys adioyning. Howbeit, he knew not, nor could affirme any thing for
certeine trueth; forsomuch as he was not vpon land, nor saw any himselfe.
[Sidenote: The Fynnes and Biarmes speak one language.] This onely he
iudged, that the Fynnes and Biarmes speake but one language. [Sidenote:
Horsewhales teeth commended.] The principall purpose of his traueile this
way, was to encrease the knowledge and discouerie of these coasts and
countreyes, for the more commoditie of fishing of horsewhales, [Footnote:
Or morses.] which haue in their teeth bones of great price and excellencie:
whereof he brought some at his returne vnto the king. [Sidenote: Use of the
morses skins for cables.] Their skinnes are also very good to make cables
for shippes, and so vsed. This kinde of whale is much lesse in quantitie
then other kindes, hauing not in length or aboue seuen elles. And as for
the common kind of whales, the place of most and best hunting of them is in
his owne countrey: whereof some be 48. elles of length, and some 50. of
which sort he affirmed that he himselfe was one of the sixe, which in the
space of 3. dayes killed threescore. He was a man of exceeding wealth in
such riches, wherein the wealth of that countrey doth consist. [Sidenote:
Sixe hundreth raine Deere.] At the same time that he came to the king, he
had of his owne breed 600. tame Deere, of that kinde which they call Rane
Deere: of the which number 6, were stall Rane Deere, a beast of great