November 6, 1612 [near Sunnyside]

The 6[th] day they returned to the bark from the high hill & about two of the clock in the afternoone, about two houres after the returne, there was perceived a fire in the sound a mile of[f] where upon all the companie repaired aboarde because it could be noe other than the doing of the savages.

Presently, two canoes appeared & one man alone coming towards us with a flag in his hand of a wolfskinn, shaking yt & making a loud noise, which we tooke to be for a parley. Whereupon, a white flag was put out and the barke [Indeavour] & shallope rowed towards them: which the savages did not like of & so tooke them to their canoes againe & were going away. Whereupon the barke wherried onto them & flourished the flag of truce & came to anker which pleased them and they stayed.

Presently after, the shallope landed Mr. Whittington with the flag of truce who went towards them. Then they rowed into the shore with one canoe, th’other standing aloofe of[f] & landed two men, one of them having the white skinne in his hand. And coming towards Mr. Whittington, the savage made a loude speeche & shaked the skinne, which was answered by Mr. Whittington in like manner & as the savage drew neere, he threw downe the white skinne into the grounde. The like was done by Mr. Whittington. Whereupon both the savages passed over a little water streame towards Mr. Whittington dancing,leaping & singing. And coming togeather, the foremoste of them presented unto him a chaine of leather full of small perwincle shells, a splitting knife, & a feather that stucke in his hair. The other gave him ane arrow without a head. The former [Beothuk] was requited with a linen cap & a hand towel [and he] put presentlie the linen cap upon his head . ... To the other [Beothuk] he gave a knife. And after, hand in hand, they all three did sing & dance.

Upon this one of our companie called Francis Tipton went ashore, unto whom one of the savages came running & gave him a chaine such as is before spoken of. [The Beothuk] was gratified by Francis Tipton with a knife and a small piece of brasse. Then all four together danced, laughing & making signes of joy & gladness, sometimes striking the breasts of our companie and sometimes their own.

When signs was made unto them that they should be willing to suffer two of our companie more to come ashore for two of theirs more to be landed & that bread & drinke should be brought ashore, they made likewise signs that they had in their canoes meate also to eate. Upon this the shallope rowed aboarde and broughte John Guy & Mr. Teage ashore who presented them with a shirte, two table napkins & raisons of the sun to eate & beere & aquavitie to drink. And one of them blowing in the aquavitae bottle yt made a sound which they fell all into laughter at. After, Mr. Croo[u]t and John Crouder came ashoare, whom [the Beothuk] went to salute giving them shell chaines. [They] bestowed gloves upon [the Beothuk].

One of the savages that came laste ashoare came walking with his oare in his hand & seemed to have some command over the reste & behaved himselfe civilly. For when meate was offered him, he drew of[f] his mitten from his hand before he would receive yt & gave ane arrow for a present without a head. [He] was requited with a dozen ... pointes.

After they had all eaten & drunk one of them went to theire canoe & brought us deer's fleshe dryed in the smoke or wind and, drawing his knife from out of his necke, cut every man a piece & it savoured very well. At the firste meeting, when signes were made of meate to eate, one of the savages presentlie came to the banke side & pulled up a roote & gave it to Mr. Whittington Which, t’other savage perceiving [it] to be dirty, took ...out of his hand & went to the water to wash yt & after divided yt among the four. Yt tasted very well.

He that came ashoare with the oare in his hand went & tooke the white skinne that they hailed us with & gave yt to Master Whittington & presentlie after they did take our white flag with them in the Canoe and made signes unto us that we should repaire to our barke & soe they put off for yt was almoste nighte.

In the two canoes there weare eighte men, yf none were women (for commonlie in every canoe there is one woman). They are of a reasonable stature, of ane ordinarie middle size; they goe bareheaded, wearing theire haire somewhat long, but rounded, they have noe beards. Behind they have a great locke of haire platted with feathers, like a hawkes lure with a feather in yt standing uprighte by the crowne of the head, & a small locke platted before. A shorte gowne or cassocke made of stag skinnes, the furre innermost that came down to the middle of their leg, with sleeves to the middle of their arme, & a beaver skinne about theire necke, was all their apparel, save that one of them had shoes and mittens, soe that all went bare legged, and moste barefoot. They are full dyed of a blacke colour, the colour of their haire was diverse, some blacke, some browne, & some yellow. Their faces [are] something flat & broad, red with ocher, as all their apparel is & the rest of their bodie. They are broad breasted, & bold, & stand very uprighte.

Theire canoes are about 20 foote long & 4 foote & a halfe broad in the middle alofte. For their keele & timbers they have thinne lighte pieces of dry fir rinded as yt were lathes and instead of boarde they use the outer birche barke which is thinne & hath many folds, sewed together with a thread made of a small roote quartered. They will carrie four persons well & weigh not one hundred weight. They are made in forme of a new moone, stemme and sterne alike & equally distant from the greatest breath. From the stemme & sterne there riseth a yarde high a light thinne staffe whipped about with small rootes which they take hold by to bring the canoe ashore. That serveth instead of ropes and a harbour, for every place is to them a harbour. Where they can goe ashore themselves they take [to] land with them theire canoe & will never put to sea but in a calme or [in] very fayre weather. In the middle the canoe is higher a great deale than in the bow & quarter. They be all bearing from the keele to the portals, not with any circular line but with a righte line.

They had made a tilt with a sail that they got from some Christian & pitched a dozen poles in the ground neere on which were hanged divers furs & chaines made of shells. ... At that instant we fell not in the reckoning to what intent yt was done but after yt came to our mindes as hereafter you shall perceive.

Crout's entry for this date.