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THE CHESAPEAKE EXPLORED. 7
that in an extreame extremitie once relieved our captaine. From Wighcocomico to this
place, all the coast is low broken isles of morass, growne a myle or two in breadth, and
ten or twTelve in length, good to cut for hay in summer, and to catch fish and foule in
winter; but the land beyond them is all covered with wood, as is the rest of the
country.
" Being thus refreshed in crossing over from the maine to other isles, we discovered
the wind and waters so much increased with thunder, lightning and raine, that our mast
and sayle blew overboard, and such mighty waves overracked us in that small barge,
that with great labour we kept her from sinking, by freeing out the water. Two days
we were inforced to inhabite these uninhabited isles, which for the extremitie of gusts,
thunder, raine, stormes, and ill wether we called Limbo. Repairing our saile with our
shirts, we set sayle for the maine and fell with a pretty convenient river on the East
called Cuskarawaock, the people ran as amazed in troups from place to place, and divers
got into the tops of trees, they were not sparing of their arrowTes, nor the greatest passion they could expresse of their anger. Long they shot, we still ryding at an anchc r
without their reatch making all the signes of friendship we could. The next day they
came unarmed, with every one a basket, dancing in a ring to draw us on shore, but
seeing there was nothing in them but villany, we discharged a volley of muskets charged
with pistoll shott, whereat they all lay tumbling on the ground, creeping some one way,
some another into a great cluster of reedes hard by, where thare companies lay in
ambuscade. Towards the evening we wayed, and approaching the shoare, discharging
five or six shot among the reedes, we landed where there lay a many of baskets and
much bloud, but saw not a salvage. A smoake appearing on the other side the river, we
rowed thither, there we left some peeces of copper, beads, bells and looking-glasses, and
then went into the bay, but when it was darke we came back againe. Early in the
morning four salvages came to us in their canoes, whom we used with such courtesie,
not knowing what we were, nor had done, having beene in the bay a fishing, bade us
stay and ere long they would returne, which they did and some twentie more with
them; with whom, after a little conference, two or three thousand men, women and
children, came clustering about us, every one presenting us with something, which a
little bead would so well requite, that we became such friends they would contend who
should fetch us water, stay with us for hostage, conduct our men any whither, and give
us the best content. Here doth inhabite the people of Sarapinagh, Nause, Aroeck, and
Nantaquak, the best marchants of all other salvages. They much extolled a great nation
called Massawomekes, in search of whom we returned by Limbo ; this river but onely at
the entrance is very narrow, and the people of small stature as them of Wighcomoco, the
land but low, yet it may prove very commodious, because it is but a ridge of land
betwixt the bay and the maine ocean. Finding this eastern shore, shallow broken isles,
and for most part without fresh water, we passed by the straites of Limbo1 for the
westerne shore; so broad is the bay here, we could scarce perceive the great high clifts
on the other side: by them we anchored that night and called them Riccards Cliftes. 30
leagues we sayled more northwarde not finding any inhabitants, leaving all the eastern
shore, lowe islandes, but ouergrowne with wood, as all the coast beyond them so farre
as we could see; the westerne shore by which we sayled we found all along well
watered, but very mountainous and barren, the valleys very fertile, but extreame thicke
of small wood as well as trees, and much frequented with wolves, beares, deere, and
other wild beasts. Wee passed many shallow creekes, but the first we found navigable
for a ship, we called Bolus,2 for that the clay in many places under the clifts by the high
water marke, did grow up in red and white knots as gum out of trees; and in some
places so participated together as though they were all of one nature, excepting the
1 Now called Hooper's Straits. 2 Now called the Patapsco river.
Object Description
| Title | History of Maryland - 1 |
| Creator | Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas) |
| Publisher | J. B. Piet |
| Place of Publication | Baltimore |
| Date | 1879 |
| Language | eng |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
Description
| Title | 00000032 |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Transcript | THE CHESAPEAKE EXPLORED. 7 that in an extreame extremitie once relieved our captaine. From Wighcocomico to this place, all the coast is low broken isles of morass, growne a myle or two in breadth, and ten or twTelve in length, good to cut for hay in summer, and to catch fish and foule in winter; but the land beyond them is all covered with wood, as is the rest of the country. " Being thus refreshed in crossing over from the maine to other isles, we discovered the wind and waters so much increased with thunder, lightning and raine, that our mast and sayle blew overboard, and such mighty waves overracked us in that small barge, that with great labour we kept her from sinking, by freeing out the water. Two days we were inforced to inhabite these uninhabited isles, which for the extremitie of gusts, thunder, raine, stormes, and ill wether we called Limbo. Repairing our saile with our shirts, we set sayle for the maine and fell with a pretty convenient river on the East called Cuskarawaock, the people ran as amazed in troups from place to place, and divers got into the tops of trees, they were not sparing of their arrowTes, nor the greatest passion they could expresse of their anger. Long they shot, we still ryding at an anchc r without their reatch making all the signes of friendship we could. The next day they came unarmed, with every one a basket, dancing in a ring to draw us on shore, but seeing there was nothing in them but villany, we discharged a volley of muskets charged with pistoll shott, whereat they all lay tumbling on the ground, creeping some one way, some another into a great cluster of reedes hard by, where thare companies lay in ambuscade. Towards the evening we wayed, and approaching the shoare, discharging five or six shot among the reedes, we landed where there lay a many of baskets and much bloud, but saw not a salvage. A smoake appearing on the other side the river, we rowed thither, there we left some peeces of copper, beads, bells and looking-glasses, and then went into the bay, but when it was darke we came back againe. Early in the morning four salvages came to us in their canoes, whom we used with such courtesie, not knowing what we were, nor had done, having beene in the bay a fishing, bade us stay and ere long they would returne, which they did and some twentie more with them; with whom, after a little conference, two or three thousand men, women and children, came clustering about us, every one presenting us with something, which a little bead would so well requite, that we became such friends they would contend who should fetch us water, stay with us for hostage, conduct our men any whither, and give us the best content. Here doth inhabite the people of Sarapinagh, Nause, Aroeck, and Nantaquak, the best marchants of all other salvages. They much extolled a great nation called Massawomekes, in search of whom we returned by Limbo ; this river but onely at the entrance is very narrow, and the people of small stature as them of Wighcomoco, the land but low, yet it may prove very commodious, because it is but a ridge of land betwixt the bay and the maine ocean. Finding this eastern shore, shallow broken isles, and for most part without fresh water, we passed by the straites of Limbo1 for the westerne shore; so broad is the bay here, we could scarce perceive the great high clifts on the other side: by them we anchored that night and called them Riccards Cliftes. 30 leagues we sayled more northwarde not finding any inhabitants, leaving all the eastern shore, lowe islandes, but ouergrowne with wood, as all the coast beyond them so farre as we could see; the westerne shore by which we sayled we found all along well watered, but very mountainous and barren, the valleys very fertile, but extreame thicke of small wood as well as trees, and much frequented with wolves, beares, deere, and other wild beasts. Wee passed many shallow creekes, but the first we found navigable for a ship, we called Bolus,2 for that the clay in many places under the clifts by the high water marke, did grow up in red and white knots as gum out of trees; and in some places so participated together as though they were all of one nature, excepting the 1 Now called Hooper's Straits. 2 Now called the Patapsco river. |
