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TO THE NORTH OF EUROPE, 97
infured; fo that they were extremely impatient to carry this pleafing intelligence to
Barentiz. _
On the eighteenth they got ready and wifhed to fail, but in vain, for having naviga-
ted with great difficulty, they were obliged to return to the place from which they de-
parted.
On the nineteenth they doubled Cape Defire, and conceived frefh hopes of being able
to fail. Neverthelefs they got entangled again in the ice and were obliged to put back.
On the twenty-firft they entered Icy Harbour, and remained at anchor there during the
night. On the following morning they left it, and moored their veffel to a bank of
ice on which they mounted, and admired its figure as being of very fingular form.
This bank was covered with earth at the top, and nearly forty eggs were found.
The colour was not that of ice, but of a fky blue. Thofe who were there, reafoned
much concerning this object. Some faid it was in fa&t ice, while the others maintained
that it was a frozen land. However this might be the bank was of very great height,
being about eighteen fathoms under water, and ten above.
On the twenty-fifth of Auguft, at three in the afternoon, the tide again began to
force the ice along ; and they imagined they could fail by the fouth of Novaya Zemlia
towards the weft of the Weigats. For as they had pafled Novaya Zemlia, and not
having found any paflage open, they had no more hopes of being able to proceed farther,
and prepared to return to Holland, when being arrived in the Bay of the Currents they
were impeded by the ice, which was fo thick that they were obliged to put back.
On the twenty-fixth having entered Icy Harbour, they remained there inclofed by
the ice which floated from all parts, and rolled along with great force; fo that they were
not able to extricate themfelves. They even had nearly loft three men, who were on
the ice endeavouring to make an opening. But happily for thefe three men as the
veflel fell back, and the ice was carried along by the fame fide the veffel was forced
from, and that they were active and ftrong, each of them took fo well his opportunity,
that one caught hold of the tacks, the other the fheet, and the third the bight of the
main brace which hung out of the back part of the fhip; and thus they were all three
moft miraculoufly faved, fo nearly had they been carried away by the ice.
In the evening of the fame day they came to the weft of Icy Harbour, where they
were obliged to winter, and fuffered a great deal, as much by cold, as the want of
neceflary articles, not to mention their vexation. On the twenty-feventh the ice
floated about the veffel, and as the weather was fine, part of the crew landed, and
had penetrated a confiderable diftance, whilft the wind, which veered to the S. E., and
was fufficiently ftrong, detaching yet more ice, forced it towards the prow of the veffel,
and occafioned it to pitch in fuch a manner and at the fame time to fall aftern that it
feemed to touch the bottom with both its extremities. :
In this imminent danger, the fhallop was let down, in order to fave themfelves in
cafe of neceflity. They alfo hoifted a flag as a.fignal to thofe on fhore to return on
board ; at the fight of which they made all hafte to repair there, though they thought
that the veffel had already ftarted. ;
On the twenty-eight the ice being feparated a little, the fhip was recovered in its
ftation: but before this was quite accomplifhed, Barentfz went with the other pilot to
vilit the prow. While they were there engaged, and on their knees and elbows in
order to meafure, the upper works of the veffel ftarted, and in opening made
fo dreadful a cracking that they believed themfelves loft. On the twenty-ninth whenit
was completely in its ftation, they endeavoured by means of iron crows and other in-
flruments, to break and feparate the ice which lay in heaps, but without fuccefs; fo
VOL, Ie . OMoa> that
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