Page:Life with the Esquimaux - 1864 - Volume 2.djvu/363

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Kingwatcheung's (Bob's) measurement was as follows:—

He was probably from 40 to 45 years of age.

Frobisher left England on the 15th of June, 1576, with three vessels—the Gabriel, a bark of twenty-five tons; the Michael, a bark of twenty tons;and a pinnace, of ten tons. On the 11th of July "he had sight of an high and ragged land," which was the southern part of Greenland; but he was kept from landing by ice and fogs. Not far from that point his pinnace, with four men, was lost. "Also the other barke, named the Michael, mistrusting the matter, conveyed themselves privily away from him, and returned home, with great report that he was cast away." Frobisher, nevertheless, went on alone with the Gabriel, and after encountering much severe weather, entered the water which he called "Frobisher Strait," now to be known by the name of Frobisher Bay. He shortly after had interviews with the natives, several of whom came on board his vessel. The mariners, trusting them, began to hold open intercourse with the people, and a party of five went on shore in a boat; these were captured by the natives, and the captain could get no intelligence of them during the remainder of the time he spent there. Frobisher then turned his attention to obtaining some tokens of his voyage to carry back with him to England. He lured one of the native men on board, and took him off with him. "Whereupon," says Hakluyt, "when he found himself in captivity, for very choler and disdaine he bit his tongue in twaine within his mouth; notwithstanding, he died not thereof, but lived till he came in England, and then he died of cold which he had taken at sea."

Frobisher reached England, on his return, early in October of that year. Among the relics and tokens he brought home with him was one piece of black stone, of great weight, "much like to a sea cole in colour." This, being accidentally put in the fire, presented an appearance something like gold. Certain refiners of London expressed the opinion that the specimen submitted to them contained gold, and a second expedition was quickly