Historic Tales, Vol. 1 | Page 8

neither dread so long either
presense nor absence of the Sunne, nor those foggie mists, tempestuous
windes, cold blasts, snowes and haile in the aire; nor the unequal Seas,
where the Tritons and Neptune's selfe would quake with chilling feare
to behold such monstrous Icie Islands, mustering themselves in those
watery plaines, where they hold a continuall civill warre, rushing one
upon another, making windes and waves give back; nor the rigid,
ragged face of the broken landes, sometimes towering themselves to a
loftie height, to see if they can finde refuge from those snowes and
colds that continually beat them, sometimes hiding themselves under
some hollow hills or cliffes, sometimes sinking and shrinking into
valleys, looking pale with snowes and falling in frozen and dead
swounes: sometimes breaking their neckes into the sea, rather
embracing the waters' than the aires' crueltie," and so on with the like
labored fancies. "Great God," he concludes, "to whom all names of
greatnesse are little, and lesse than nothing, let me in silence admire thy
greatnesse, that in this little heart of man (not able to serve a Kite for a
break-fast) hast placed such greatness of spirit as the world is too little
to fill."
Thus in long-winded meed of praise writes Master Samuel Purchas. Of
those bold mariners of whom he speaks our worthy knight, Sir Martin,
is one of the first and far from the least.

An effort had been made to discover a northwest passage to the Pacific
as early as 1527, and another nine years later; but these were feeble
attempts, which ended in failure and disaster, and discovered nothing
worthy of record. It was in 1576 that Frobisher, one of the most
renowned navigators of his day, put into effect the project he had
cherished from his youth upward, and for which he had sought aid
during fifteen weary years, that of endeavoring to solve the ice-locked
secret of the Arctic seas.
The fleet with which this daring adventure was undertaken was a
strangely insignificant one, consisting of three vessels which were even
less in size than those with which Columbus had ventured on his great
voyage. Two of these were but of twenty tons burden each, and the
third only of ten, while the aggregate crews numbered but thirty-five
men. With this tiny squadron, less in size than a trio of fishing-smacks,
the daring adventurer set out to traverse the northern seas and face the
waves of the great Pacific, if fortune should open to him its gates.
On the 11th of July, 1576, the southern extremity of Greenland was
sighted. It presented a more icy aspect than that which the Norsemen
had seen nearly six centuries before. Sailing thence westward, the land
of the continent came into view, and for the first time by modern
Europeans was seen that strange race, now so well known under the
name of Eskimo. The characteristics of this people, and the conditions
of their life, are plainly described. The captain "went on shore, and was
encountered with mightie Deere, which ranne at him, with danger of his
life. Here he had sight of the Savages, which rowed to his Shippe in
Boates of Seales Skinnes, with a Keele of wood within them. They eate
raw Flesh and Fish, or rather devoured the same: they had long black
hayre, broad faces, flat noses, tawnie of color, or like an Olive."
His first voyage went not beyond this point. He returned home, having
lost five of his men, who were carried off by the natives. But he
brought with him that which was sure to pave the way to future
voyages. This was a piece of glittering stone, which the ignorant
goldsmiths of London confidently declared to be ore of gold.
Frobisher's first voyage had been delayed by the great difficulty in

obtaining aid. For his new project assistance was freely offered, Queen
Elizabeth herself, moved by hope of treasure, coming to his help with a
hundred and eighty-ton craft, the "Ayde," to which two smaller vessels
were added. These being provisioned and manned, the bold navigator,
with "a merrie wind" in his sails, set out again for the desolate north.
His first discovery here was of the strait now known by his name, up
which he passed in a boat, with the mistaken notion in his mind that the
land bounding the strait to the south was America, and that to the north
was Asia. The natives proved friendly, but Frobisher soon succeeded in
making them hostile. He seized some of them and attempted to drag
them to his boat, "that he might conciliate them by presents." The
Eskimos, however, did not approve of this forcible method of
conciliation, and the unwise knight reached the boat alone, with an
arrow in his