at
in Latin is called _smiris_, for striking therewith upon touch-wood
that of purpose he had, by means of a mineral stone used therein,
sparkles proceeded and forthwith kindled with making of flame. The
ninth, we continued working on our storehouse, for as yet remained in
us a desired resolution of making stay. The tenth, Captain Gosnold
fell down with the ship to the little islet of cedars, called Hill's
Hap, to take in cedar wood, leaving me and nine more in the fort, only
with three meals meat, upon promise to return the next day....
The thirteenth, began some of our company that before vowed to stay,
to make revolt: whereupon the planters diminishing, all was given
over. The fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth, we spent in getting
sassafras and fire-wood of cedar, leaving house and little fort, by
ten men in nineteen days sufficient made to harbor twenty persons at
least with their necessary provisions.
The seventeenth, we set sail, doubling the rocks of Elizabeth's
island, and passing by Dover Cliff, came to anchor at Martha's
Vineyard, being five leagues distant from our fort, where we went
ashore, and had young cranes, herneshowes, and geese, which now were
grown to pretty bigness.
The eighteenth, we set sail and bore for England, cutting off our
shallop, that was well able to land five and twenty men or more, a
boat very necessary for the like occasions. The winds do range most
commonly upon this coast in the summer time, westerly. In our homeward
course we observed the foresaid floating weeds to continue till we
came within two hundred leagues of Europe. The three-and-twentieth of
July we came to anchor before Exmouth.[5]
[1] Gosnold sailed from Falmouth, England, in 1602, Raleigh being
interested in the expedition. He reached the New England coast in
May of the same year, and discovered Cape Cod, to which, because of
the abundance of codfish in neighboring waters he gave the name it
bears. He afterward discovered Martha's Vineyard, and on the
neighboring island of Cuttyhunk founded a settlement called
Elizabeth, the first ever made in New England by Englishmen. This
settlement lasted only a few weeks, the settlers returning to
England.
[2] The entire group of islands, of which Cuttyhunk is one, are now
known as the Elizabeth Islands. The township which these islands
comprize bears Gosnold's name. Gosnold became active afterward in
promoting the e
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