Despite Tradescant’s watching, it was a sailor who first called ‘land ahoy!’, spotting through the rolling fog the dark outline of the coast of the North Cape of Lapland.

Sir Dudley came up on deck, huddled in his thick cape. ‘What can you see, John?’

John pointed to the dark mass of land which was growing whiter as they grew closer. ‘More like a snowdrift than land,’ he said. ‘Bitterly cold.’

The two Englishmen stood side by side as their ship drew closer to the strange land. A man of war detached itself from the shadow of some cliffs and sailed towards them.

‘Trouble?’ Sir Dudley asked quietly.

‘I’ll ask the captain,’ John said. ‘You go below, my lord. I’ll bring you news the moment I have it. Get your pistols primed, just in case.’

Sir Dudley nodded and went back to his cabin as John made his way the few steps to the captain’s cabin and knocked on the door.

‘What is it?’

‘A man of war, coming this way, flying the Denmark flag.’

The captain nodded, pulled on his cape and came out of his tiny cabin. ‘They’ll only want passes,’ he said. ‘Sir Dudley’s name is permission enough for them.’

He went briskly to the side of the boat, cupped his hands around his mouth and bellowed. ‘Ahoy there! This is Captain Gilbert, an English sea captain on a voyage of embassy, carrying Sir Dudley Digges and the Russian ambassador. What do you want with us?’

There was a silence. ‘Perhaps they don’t speak English?’ John suggested.

‘Then they damned well should do so,’ Gilbert snapped. ‘Before trying to delay honest Englishmen going about their business.’

‘Ahoy, Captain Gilbert,’ the reply came slowly, muffled by the fog. ‘We require your passes and permits for sailing in our waters.’

‘Ahoy!’ Gilbert shouted irritably. ‘Our passes and permits are packed away for the voyage and besides, we need none. On board is Sir Dudley Digges and travelling with him is the Russian ambassador, homeward bound. You won’t want to trouble the noblemen, I suppose?’

There was a longer silence as the Danish captain decided whether or not the troubling of the gentlemen was worth the possible embarrassment, and then decided it was not.

‘You can pass freely,’ he bellowed back.

‘Thank you for nothing,’ Gilbert muttered. ‘I thank you,’ he shouted. ‘Do you have any provision we can buy?’

‘I’ll send a boat over,’ came the reply, half-muffled by the fog.

Tradescant stepped swiftly down the companionway and tapped on the door to Sir Dudley’s cabin.

‘It’s me, all’s well,’ he said quickly.

‘Shall I come out?’

‘If you wish,’ John said and went back to the rail and watched with Captain Gilbert as a rowing boat, like a Dutch scuts, came out of the mist.

‘Anything worth having?’ Sir Dudley asked, from behind Tradescant.