just follow the cat

Part 2 - The Faith of Henry Hudson

June 22, 1611

southeastern Hudson Bay

(what is now northern Ontario)

Henry Hudson's fourth and fatal attempt to find a northern route to the Far East left his ship frozen in ice for over eight months. The crew of his ship, Discovery, spent the winter ashore in the southernmost part of what is now called the Hudson Bay. Though shifting ice can crush a ship's hull, the Discovery was undamaged that winter and Hudson was determined to continue his search.

Fearing death and thinking their captain was hoarding food, the crew mutinied. They forced Hudson and seven others onto a small shallop stripped of its sails. They towed the shallop behind them for several hours. As soon as the Discovery had cleared the last large floe of ice, the shallop [19] was cut loose. Although Hudson urged his crew of seven to row in pursuit of the ship, they were weakened by disease and starvation. Despite an extraordinary effort, the distance between the castaways and the mutineers increased throughout the morning. The Discovery finally disappeared from view before the sun was midway across the sky.

Twenty years later, a small wooden shelter was discovered on Danby Island in the southernmost section of the Hudson Bay. Marks on the wood suggested European craftsmanship.

What follows are the pages of Henry Hudson's journal from the days after the mutiny of his crew. These entries account for Hudson's activities in the month of July 1611. No record exists of any event after his final entry.

[Note: For clarity, some spelling corrections have been made.]

0° K

Henry Hudson, Master of the Discovery

July 4, 1611: Cold but fair, wind northerly.

I do not know our exact location. With no compass, I rely on the stars and believe the latitude to be 51°59'. When Thomas Woodhouse died two days back, I found that he had ink and paper. I will write my story until there is no means to continue.

It is two weeks since Robert Juet and the mutinous crew cut us adrift. We rowed our shallop for hours to keep pace. The effort being fruitless, we came about.

Seeing land birds flying south, we followed them to three islands shortly off the coast. These lands had been previously named Greater Hope, Lesser Hope, and No Hope Islands. We made camp on Lesser Hope Island as it was the safest choice of the three. Bears were seen on Greater Hope and there was little means of building shelter on No Hope Island.

Last winter, we skirmished with the peoples on the mainland. Since our island cannot be seen from those shores, I am most certain that it is safer to be on an island that is unseen from the east.

My entire crew is dead now. I wonder should I be blamed for that? None were given permission to die and yet they died never-the-less. Syracke Fanner was the first and he died crying like an animal before the shallop was even cut loose. My son died at dawn on our second day. The others left me before the end of the second week.

I am a patient and positive man. I do not worry as I did when we were first cast away. I have good shelter now as crows have led me to a marsh with dried reeds. I see these birds and others building nests with the sturdiest of those stalks. They will make an excellent thatch to cover me from the rain.

I have two casks with many gallons of water, but my food stores are low. There is some unspoilt grain, but only one-eighth bushel remains. Small black birds are my guides to other food. Their songs awaken me each morning and their notes remind of the starlings near my home in Hodderston. Yet, their heads are full brown in color. [20]  I follow them from bush to bush and eat what they eat.