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TO THE NORTH OF EUROPE. 83
vigour we have ever heard of, rifing and appearing again from the bottom, where he
had plunged to fwim anew. The perfons in the fhallop, directed it towards the animal,
and paffed a cord round its neck with a running knot, thinking to take it alive and
carry it to Holland; neverthelefs they were very content at fecing it die, and having
only the fkin ; for it cried fo horribly, ftruggled in fuch a manner, and made fuch
prodigious efforts, that thofe who have never feen it, would not be able to imagine
any thing fimilar.
After having thus tormented it they gave it a little relaxation, by not drawing the
nooze tight ;’ but they always dragged it after them in order to fatigue it the more.
Barentfz having caufed it to be brought near, and touched it with his hand, the bear
darted with vigour towards the fhallop, put its two paws on the ftern, and exerted
itfelf in fuch a manner that it entered with half its body. ‘The crew were fo alarmed,
that they all fled to the poop, and no one expected to efcape alive.
The adventure which delivered them from this peril was very fingular. The nooze
got entangled with the iron work of the rudder, and {topped the bear. When they
faw it thus checked, the moft courageous of the failors advanced with a demi-lance,
and gave it fo violent a blow that the animal fell into the water. he fhallop which
then approached the veffel with all poffible fpeed, dragged the bear after it, and fo
exhaultedits ftrength, that feeing it lefs agitated than betore, they were enabled to kill
it, and its fkin was brought to Amfterdam.
On the tenth of July they obferved the Ifle of Crofles, which they thus named on
account of two great crofies which they faw there. ‘Lhey anchored at the diftance
of two long leagues from the fhore, and having landed in the ifland they found it barren
and full of rocks, being half a league in extent from Eaft to Welt, and having at each
extremity a chain of rocks under water.
Fight leagues thence is Cape Naflau, in the latitude of 76° 30’. It is a low and
level point which mutt be carefully avoided becau‘e there is a bank of feven fathoms,
at a great diftance from the fhore. From this cape they failed five leagues to the E. and
by S. and to the K. S.E., and then thought they faw land to the N. E. and by FE.
They immediately fteered in that dire€tion, conceiving this to be a new land, to the
North of Novaya Zemlia. But the wind increafing they were obliged to furl all the
fails; and the fea afterwards became fo troubled that they failed for ntore than fixteen
hours under bare poles.
The day following they loft their little bark by a wave which funk it, and after being
thus driven about fora confiderable time under bare poles, they found themfelves at
three in the afternoon under Novaya Zemlia, clofe to the land.
On the thirteenth of July a great quantity of ice was obferved from the top-matft.
On the fourteenth they found themfelves in the latitude of 777 45’ near a furface of ice
perfectly fmooth, extending as far as the eye could reach. On the morning of the
nineteenth they returned to the coaft of Novaya Zemlia, near Cape Naflau, and on
the twenty-fixth they were at Cape Trooft.
_ On the twentieth they arrived in Jatitude 77° and the moft northern point of Novaya
Zemlia, called Ys-hoek, or Icy Cape, bore due FE. Here they found {ome little {tones
fhining like gold ; for which reafon the called them golden ftones.
On the thirty-firft of July, having tacked between the ice and the land, during fine
weather, they arrived at the Orange Ifles, near one of which they met with upwards of
two hundred fea cows, on the fand bafking in the fun. The crew thinking thefe
amphibious animals were not able to defend thenifelves on fhore, went to attack them
to obtain their teeth; but their fury broke the hatchets, fabres, and pikes, without |
M 2 their
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