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TO THE NORTH OF EUROPE, 99
fo little water about the veffel, that they were not able at one time to draw up a full
bucket.
On the feventh, five failors having landed, two of them returned on board, aad th»
three others walked for two leagues, into the country, where they faw a river of freth
water, and a quantity of wood which had floated on its banks. ‘They allo faw traces
of rein deer and elks, at leaft as well as they could judge from the marks of the fect,
and the different fize of thefe veltiges, fuch as they appeared imprinted on the ground.
On the night of the ninth two bears came clofe to the veflel, which they put to fliviit
by the noile of trumpets and guns which they fired, although none of them took effect
on account of the fog. On the eleventh being calm weather, eight failors well armed
went on fhore, in order to fee if the three others who had already been there, had
well obferved every thing, and if they were not miftaken in the report they had made
concerning the wood on the banks of the river. For after having been locked in the
ice at different times, and extricated themfelves from it, they found themfelves. th’s
time inclofed in fuch a manner, that they well perceived it being the feafon of autumn
and winter approaching, there was no more room to hope they fhould be able to difen-
gage themfelves. Thus preparing to pafs the winter, they had held counfel all together
as to what was to be done, in waiting what it would pleafe God to order concerning
them.
It was therefore refolved to fortify themfelves againft the cold, and the attacks of
wild beafts, and to build a hut for this purpofe. ‘They had a favourable opportunity
for executing their defign. On the fhore were found even whole trees wiih the roots,
which had been brought, either from Tartary, or Mofcovy, for there were none on
the fpot ; fo that they found the three firft failors had made a faithful report. This
beginning of good fortune induced them to hope that heaven would grant them here-
after greater favours, and that fince it furnifhed them with the means of building a
retreat, to warm themfelves and to prevent their perifhing by cold, which would have
been inevitable without this affiftance, it would alfo facilitate to them the means of re-
turning to their native country. :
On the fifteenth of the fame month of September, in the morning, the man who
ftood centinel, preceived three bears, one of which remained behind a bank of ice,
while the others advanced towards the veffel. As the crew were preparing to fire, one
of the bears was about to put his head into a tub where fome meat lay in foak at a con-
fiderable diftance from the veflel, becaufe there was no water in the part where it lay.
At the fame inftant the bear received a mufket ball in his head, which laid him dead.
The other bear remained as if thunderftruck: he attentively regarded his companion
ftretched on the place, and feeing him make no motion, he {melt to him, and at length
went away. They followed him with their eyes, and as they preceived him return, and
raife himfelf on his hind legs in order to caft himfelf on the failors, they fired and thot
him in the belly, which caufed him to fall again on his feet, and then he fled making
a great howling ‘They opened the dead bear, and having taken out the entrails, they
placed him on his four legs, in order to fee if he would be fufliciently frozen to carry
him to Holland, if they had the good fortune to extricate the veffel.
The work of the building of a hut was at length begun, by preparing a fledge to
convey the wood. At this time the fea was all frozen to the thicknefs of two fingers.
On they fixteenth they brought four rafters from a league diftant, by walking always
on the ice or thefnow. During that night it fill froze of the thicknefs of two fingers,
On the feventeenth thirteen men departed to feek for wood, ten of which conveyed it,
while the other three cut it, On the twenty-firft the froft increafed to fuch a degree,
02 that
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