Note 979 — THE THIRD VOYAGE NORTH-WARD TO THE KINGDOMES OF CATHAIA and China, in Anno 1596.

The 20 of August, being not farre from the land, the north-east wind left vs, and then it began to blow stiffe north-west; at which time, seeing we could not make much way by sailing forward, we determined to put in betweene certaine clifts, and when we got close to the land we espied certaine crosses with warders979 vpon them, whereby we vnderstood that it was a good way,980 and so put into it. And being entred a litle way within it, we saw a great Russian lodgie981 lying at an anchor, whereunto we rowed as fast as we could, and there also we saw certaine houses wherein men dwelt. And when we got to the lodgie, we made our selues fast vnto it,982 and cast our tent ouer the scute, for as then it began to raine. Then we went on land into the houses that stood vpon the shore, where they showed vs great friendship, leading vs into their stoawes,983 and there dried our wet clothes, and then seething some fish, bade vs sit downe and eate somewhat with them.984 In those little houses we found thirteene Russians, who euery morning went out [in two boats] to fish in the sea; whereof two of them had charge ouer the rest. They liued very poorely, and ordinarily eate nothing but fish and bread.985 At euening, when we prepared our selues to go to our scute againe, they prayed the maister and me to stay with them in their houses, which the maister thanked them for, would not do [and went into the boat], but I stayed with them al that night. Besides those thirteene men, there was two Laplanders more and three women with a child, that liued very poorely of the ouerplus986 which the Russians gaue them, as a peece of fish and some fishes heades, which the Russians threw away and they with great thankfulnesse tooke them vp, so that in respect of their pouertie [and ill condition] we thought our selues to bee well furnished,987 and yet we had little inough, but as it seemed their ordinary liuing was in that manner. And we were forced to stay there for that the wind being north-west, it was against vs.