When they had entered that spacious sea—­rounding the cape which then received its name of Cape Wolstenholme—­they came to where sorrel and scurvy-grass grew plentifully, and where there was “great store of fowle.”  Prickett records that the crew urged Hudson “to stay a daye or two in this place, telling him what refreshment might there bee had.  But by no means would he stay, who was not pleased with the motion.”  This refers to August 3d, the day on which Hudson’s log ends.  Prickett adds, significantly:  “So we left the fowle, and lost our way downe to the South West.”

By September, the “Discovery” was come into James Bay, at the southern extremity of Hudson’s Bay; and then it was that the serious trouble began.  By Prickett’s showing, there seems to have been a clash of opinions in regard to the ship’s course; and of so violent a sort that strong measures were required to maintain discipline.  The outcome was that “our Master took occasion to revive old matters, and to displace Robert Juet from being his mate, and the boatswaine from his place, for the words spoken in the first great bay of ice.”

For what happened at that time we have a better authority than Prickett.  The “Note” of Thomas Widowes covers this episode; and, in covering it, throws light upon the mutinous conditions which prevailed increasingly as the voyage went on.  As the only contemporary document giving Hudson’s side of the matter it is of first importance—­we may be very sure that it would not have come down to us had it been discovered by the mutineers—­and I cite it here in full as Purchas prints it: 

“The tenth day of September, 1610, after dinner, our Master called all the Companie together, to heare and beare witnesse of the abuse of some of the Companie (it having beene the request of Robert Juet), that the Master should redresse some abuses and slanders, as hee called them, against this Juet:  which thing after the Master had examined and heard with equitie what hee could say for himselfe, there were proued so many and great abuses, and mutinous matters against the Master, and [the] action by Juet, that there was danger to have suffered them longer:  and it was fit time to punish and cut off farther occasions of the like mutinies.

“It was proved to his face, first with Bennet Mathew, our Trumpet, upon our first sight of Island [Iceland], and he confest, that he supposed that in the action would be man slaughter, and proue bloodie to some.

“Secondly, at our coming from Island, in hearing of the Companie, hee did threaten to turne the head of the Ship home from the action, which at that time was by our Master wisely pacified, hoping of amendment.

“Thirdly, it was deposed by Philip Staffe, our Carpenter, and Ladlie Arnold [Arnold Ludlow] to his face upon the holy Bible, that hee perswaded them to keepe Muskets charged, and Swords readie in their Cabbins, for they should be charged with shot ere the Voyage was over.