Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 16.djvu/15

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bignesse, huge, and monstrous of shape, and for the fore-part of their bodies cannot be compared to any thing better then to a lion: their head, and necke, and fore-parts of their bodies are full of rough haire: their feete are in manner of a finne, and in forme like vnto a mans hand: they breed and cast euery moneth, giuing their yong milke, yet continually get they their liuing in the sea, and liue altogether vpon fish: their yong are marueilous good meate, and being boyled or rosted, are hardly to be knowen from lambe or mutton. The olde ones be of such bignesse and force, that it is as much as 4. men are able to doe to kill one of them with great cowle-staues: and hee must be beaten downe with striking on the head of him: for his body is of that bignesse that foure men could neuer kill him, but only on the head. For being shotte through the body with an Harquebubuze or a Musket, yet he will goe his way into the sea, and neuer care for it at the present.

Also the fowles that were there, were very good meate, and great store of them: they haue burrowes in the ground like conies, for they cannot flie. They haue nothing but downe vpon their pinions: They also fish and feede in the sea for their liuing, and breede on shore.

This harborough is a very good place to trimme ships in, and to bring them on ground, and graue them in: for there ebbeth and floweth much water: therefore wee graued and trimmed all our ships there.

The 24. of December being Christmas Euen, a man and a boy of the Rere admirall went some fortie score from our ships vnto a very faire greene valley at the foote of the mountaines, where was a litle pitte or well which our men had digged and made some 2. or 3. dayes before to get fresh water: for there was none in all the Harborough; and this was but brackish: therefore this man and boy came thither to wash their linnen: and beeing in washing at the sayde Well, there were great store of Indians which were come downe, and found the sayd man and boy in washing.

These Indians being diuided on eche side of the rockes, shotte at them with their arrowes and hurt them both, but they fledde presently, beeing about fiftie or threescore, though our Generall followed them but with 16. or 20. men. The mans name which was