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TO THE NORTH OF EUROPE. gi
loft. But Cornelifz would not yield to thefe reafons; on the contrary, he perfifted in
the defign of always running in aN. N. E. direction, convinced that if they bore to the
eaft they would enter the Weigats. Barentfz was finally compelled to join him, and
fteer N. E. and by N.; whereas they fhould have ftood to the N. E., and even have
fteered more to the E.
On the fifth of June they began to fee ice, which fo furprifed them that they imagined
at firft they faw fwans, and thofe on deck cried out they beheld a quantity fwimming.
The others who were below having afcended to the quarter.deck, and confidered the
thing with a calmer eye, told them that the fwans were juft converted into flakes of ice :
in fact, they were floating banks of ice which had been detached. At midnight they
came up with this ice, the fun then being elevated about a degree above the horizon to
the north.
On the feventh they were in lat. 74°, failing along the ice, as if running between two
fhores : the water was as green as grafs, and they prefumed they were near Greenland.
In the mean time the ice’thickened as they advanced.
On the ninth they difcovered an ifland, lying in lat. 74° 30’, which appeared to them
to be about five leagues in length. On the eleventh they landed and found a quantity
of fea-gulls’ eggs. ‘They afterwards afcended a mountain, fo fteep that the fides feemed
almoft perpendicular, from which they defcended with the greateft difficulty and danger,
not being able to look down without difmay, and beholding nothing but rugged points
of rocks, where the would have been dafhed to pieces if they had fallen or flipped.
They therefore defcended gently, fome on their knees, fome fliding, without meeting
any accident, although Barentfz, who remained in the fhallop, obferving them, was in
doubt if he fhould ever behold them again alive.
On the morning of the twelfth they faw a white bear, and directed the fhallop after
him, to endeavour to throw a {trong noofe about his neck; but they found him fo
furious, that they dared not attempt it. John Cornelifz having fent a reinforcement
of men and arms, they all attacked him together: the combat lafted.four glaffes, or
two hours, and in the end they cut off his head with a hatchet. He was carried on
board the veffel of Cornelifz, where he was flayed: the fkin was twelve feet long : part
of his flefh was eaten, but was not found good. ‘This incident induced them to name
the ifland Beeren-eilandt, or the Ile of Bears. .
On the thirteenth they weighed anchor, and while failing perceived towards the
evening fomething very large floating on the water: they imagined at firft it was a
veflel, but approaching they found it to be a dead whale, upon which were a great
number of fea-gulls.
On the feventeenth and eighteenth they met with much ice, through which having
pafled, they came to the fouthern point of the ifland, and exerted every effort to double
it, without being able to fucceed. -
On the nineteenth they again difcovered land, and having obferved the altitude, found
themfelves in lat. 80° 11’. ‘The country in fight was of great extent, which they coafted,
running weftward to lat. 79° 30’, where they met with a good road ;. but they could
not approach nearer on account of a N. E. wind, which came direétly from the land,
the bay ftretching into the fea N. and S.
On the twenty-firft they caft anchor in fight of land, in eighteen fathoms of water,
and the crew of Barentfz went with that of Cornelifz to feek for ballaft on the weftern
coa{t. As they were returning on board a white bear entered into the water and fwam
towards their veffel. Leaving the labour of the ballaft, they threw themfelves into
the fhallop and directed it towards the bear, who fwam more than a league into the fea.
N 2 They
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