Note 917 — THE THIRD VOYAGE NORTH-WARD TO THE KINGDOMES OF CATHAIA and China, in Anno 1596.

The 12 of August it was faire weather; at which time, the sunne being east, we saw a Russia lodgie917 come towards vs with al his sailes vp, wherewith we were not a little comforted, which we perceauing from the strand, where we laie with our scutes, we desired the master that we might goe918 vnto him to speake with him, and to get some victuales of them; and to that end we made as much haste as we could to launche out our scutes,919 and sailed toward them. And when we got to them, the master went into the lodgie to aske them how farre we had to Candinaes, which we could not well learne of them because we understood them not. They held vp their fiue fingers vnto vs, but we knew not what they ment thereby, but after we perceaued that thereby they would show us that there stood five crosses upon it; and they brought their compas out and shewed vs that it lay north-west from us, which our compas also shewed vs, which reckning also we had made; but when we saw we could haue no better intelligence from them, the master went further into their ship, and pointed to a barrell of fish yt he saw therein, making signes to know whether they would sel it vnto vs, showing them a peece of 8 royles;920 which they vnderstanding, gave vs 102 fishes, with some cakes which they had made of meale when they sod921 their fishe. And about the south sunne we left them, being glad that we had gotten some victuales, for long before we had had but two922 ounces of bread a day with a little water, and nothing else, and with that we were forced to comfort our selues as well as we could. The fishes we shared amongst vs equally, to one as much as another,923 without any difference. And when we had left them, we held our course west and by north, with a south and a south and by east wind; and when the sunne was west south west it began to thunder and raine, but it continued not long, for shortly after the weather began to cleare vp againe; and passing forward in that sort, we saw the sunne in our common compas go downe north and by west.924