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82 FIRST VOYAGE OF THE DUTCH
When they had run five or fix leagues in the fame courfe, they found themfelves
near a point of land fufficiently low, but extending a confiderable diftance into the fea,
which they called Langenes. ‘Yo the caft of this point there was a great bay, by
which they fent the fhallop to fhore, where no perfon was obferved. ‘They afterwards
remarked two creeks between the cape of Baxo, which is four leagues from Langenes,
and the weftern point of the bay of Loms, which is capacious and extenfive. To the
welt they found a good haven, where are fix, feven, and eight fathoms of water.
Tere the fhallop approached the land, and they formed a buoy of an old maft which
they found.
"Vhis bay they called the bay of Loms, on account of a fpecies of birds feen in great
quantity, which were very heavy, Lom inthe Dutch language fignifying heavy. In
effect the bodies of thefe birds appeared fo large in proportion to their wings, which
were very fmall, that they were furprifed at their being able to lift fuch heavy maffes.
They make their nefts on fteep mountains, in order to be fecure from the beafts, and
they only lay one egg at atime. They are not feared at the fight of men: one may
even be taken in its neft without occafioning the others near it to fly away or quit their
{tations.
From the bay of Loms, they failed towards Admiralty Ifle, the weftern fide of which
is not clear, having little depth even at aconfiderable diftance from the fhore: fo that it
is neceflary to keep off the coaft, and not to approach but with great precaution, The
depth is even very unequal, and when at one founding ten fathoms have been found
fometimes but fix are found at another, and immediately afterwards they again find
ten, eleven, and twelve.
_. The fixth of July, at midnight, they arrived at the Stvarthock, or the Black Cape
lying in latitude 75° 29’ and afterwards at William’s Ifle at the diftance of eight
leagues, in the latitude of 75° 55’. ‘i
‘They found at this place a great quantity of wood which had been brought by the fea
and Walrufles, or fea cows, marine montters of wonderful ftrength, larger than pea
and having a rougher hide than the marine dog, with very fhort hair. ‘heir aaeele
refembles that of the lion. ‘They almoft con{tantly abide on the ice, and are difficult
to kill, unlefs the blow be given exactly on the fide of the head. They have four feet
and no ears,
They only bring forth one or two young ones at a time, and when met by the fifh-
ermen on theice, they throw their young ones before them into the water, and taking
them between their fore legs as between the arms, they plunge with them and re-appear
at different times, and when they would revenge themfelves and attack the barks, or
defend themfelves they again caft away their young, and approach the bark with ex-
treme fury. They have two teeth on each fide of the mouth, nearly fourteen inches
Jong, which are as much efteemed as the teeth of the elephant, efpecially in Mofcovy
Tartary, and the other parts where they are ufed, becaufe they are neither lefs white,
lefshard, nor lefs fmooth than ivory. The hair of the beard refembles little horns,
andis almoft fimiliar to thofe of the porcupine. ‘Two were feen in 1612, at Amfter-
dam and other cities of Holland: one of them was old and dead, the other was young
and ftill alive. The Englifh call them fea-horfes, and the French fea-cows: but
among the Ruffians who have been acquainted with thefe animals from time immemo-
rial they have the name of Morfes.
On the ninth of July, they anchored in Berenfort road, under William’s Ifle, where
having feen a white bear, they got into the fhallop and wounded it with bullets. But
the bear finding itfelf wounded, redoubled its fury, and exhibited marks of the greateft
I vigour
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