DIARY OF PATRICK GORDON. [1651 ■wards nl<::lit, notwithstanding it was calme and misty, wee weighed anchor

Passages from the diary of General Patrick Gordon of Auchleuchries : A.D. 1635-A.D. 1699"

(^ DIARY OF PATRICK GORDON. [1651

■wards nl<::lit, notwithstanding it was calme and misty, wee weighed anchor,
and, with the tvde, made a slow passage. Abont sunsett it cleared up,
whereof, haveing notice below deck, wee made hast above, and, with many
siirhes and teares. bidd our native country farewell, which even then seemed
to be in a mourning for our departure ; but shortly, by a brisk gale of
westerlv wind, wee were deprived of all sight thereof. Haveing, to ease
our minds, laid our selves down to rest, wee were called up by the noise
Avhich the mariners made, because of some shippes approaching, who, being
come near, were knowne to be Hollanders. They inquired what wee were V
from whence come ? and whither bound '? To all which, receiving satistaction,
thev askd if wee had any Parliament men aboard V and if wee had seen an
English shipp which had escaped them in the mist ? To both which was
answered. No ; so after salutation with great gunnes, according to the manner
at sea, we parted, keeping our coiu*se east and by north two dayes with a
favorable gale. Then wee -were by contrary winds forced very farr to the
north, and after two weekes. had a sight of Norway. The wind then beeing
a little better, we sailed along that coast, passing by the Nais to Skagen in
.lutland, then by the illand Lezow, the Trindell, and the litle illand Amout,
then by a rock called the Kole, w-here the skippers exact a discretion of
everv one who hath not passed that way befor. The mariners are
ordinarilv lett downe thrice into the sea. Wee came in the evening to the
roade befor Elsenure, and anchored about halfe a Dutch mile from the
strand or shore

The next dav wee went ashore, and dined in a Scotsman's house very
well for twelve pence a man, and at night returned to the shipp. On the
morrow, about noone. the shipp being cleared, wee holsed saile. and made
good wav, with a fresh gale, by tlie lUands Ween and Roan on our left
hand, and the city Copenliagen, the King of Denmark's residence, on our
right, holding our course by Valsterboom and the illand Boraholme over
to the coast of Pomereil.
July 18. On the eighteenth Julv, new stile, wee had a slirht of the coast. In the
evening was a great calme, and in the night great raine and thunder, so
that wee made no way. The next day wee passed by the Heel, and a lltle
after, began to throw out our ballast, which was sand and stones. The
next day being also calme, and being near the shore, wee were towed near
the land by boats, and anchored before the ]Munde. a strong fort. Some of
us went ashore, and walked to Dantzick on foot, being a Dutch mile from