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TO THE NORTH OF EUROPE. 1OL
On the eleventh the wine and the other provifions were brought to land, and on the
twelfth half of the crew flept in the hut they had built, where they fuffered extreme
cold, becaufe as yet they had no beds, and little covering. Nor could they make any
fire, the chimney not being yet built, and the fmoke on this account infupportable.
On the thirteenth three failors went to the fhip, and placed fome beer on a fledge,
in order to carry it away ; but as they were fetting off, there arofe fo violent a wind,
there was fo great a ftorm, and the cold fo intenfe, that they were not only obliged to-
re-enter the veffel, but even to leave their beer without, on the fledge. The follow-
ing day they found the bottom of a catk of {trong beer of Dantzic * completely cracked
by the ftrength of the froft; and the beer inftead of running out was frozen and ftuck
to the bottom as if it had been ftrong glue. The cafk was carried into the hut and
placed upright. They thawed the beer, for there was very little in the middle of the
cafk which was not frozen; but what was not congealed, having loft the tafte of beer,
becaufe the ftrength had been drawn away, was no longer fit to drink ; and that which.
they thawed had only the tafte of water. They thought of mixing them together again,
which however did not reftore the original tafte or virtue.
On the night of the fixteenth a bear attempted to enter the vefiel; but hearing the
voices of the failors towards break of day, he retired. On the eighteenth after taking
the bifcuit from the yawl which they had dragged to land, they alfo took out the wine,
which was not yet frozen, though the froft had already continued with great feverity
for fix weeks.
On the nineteeth another bear attempted to get into the veffel, where only two men
and a boy remained who were very much alarmed. The two men ran to the bottom of
the hold, and they boy climbed to the top of the fore fhrouds. Inthe meantime fome
failors advancing from the hut, the bear went direftly upto them as foon as he per-
ceived them, but fled at the firft fhot they fired at him.
On the twentieth they returned to the veflel to carry away all the beer: they found
fome cafks which the froft had fplit, and feveral iron hoops broken on thofe in which
was the {trong beer. On the twenty-fourth all the remainder of the crew, to the num-
ber of eight, retired tothe houfe, and they were obliged to convey on a fledge a ninth
who was fick. They alfo dragged with incredible labour, the fhallop of their veffel,.
and they placed it with the keel upwards, in order to make ufe of it when opportunity
thould offer..
In fine feeing thatthe veffel was frozen in fuch a manner, that they could have ne
hopes of feeing it foon difengaged, they carried back the ftream anchor on board, left it
fhould be loft under the fnow, and that they might ufe it in the following fummer,.
hoping to find then fome favourable occafion for returning to their country.
In the mean time the fun, the fight of which was the only benefit and pleafure
which remained, beginning to abandon them, they made-all poflible diligence, to
convey on their fledges the remainder of the victuals in the veflel, and the rigging
neceflary to equip the fhallop, in order to carry them to their hut. On the twenty-
fifth of the fame month.of October, while occupied in this work, the mafter who
happened to raife his eyes, faw three bears behind the veflel, who were advancing to-
wards the failors. Hecried out loudly in order to frighten them. On their fide the
failors threw their ftraps on the ground, to put themfelves in a ftate of defence.
Luckily two halberts were found on the fledge: the mafter took one, and Gerard de
Veer the other. ‘The others ran towards the veflel, but one of them fell into a chafm
* A ftrong and medicinal beer, made with the berries of {weet briar,
in
LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
SANTA BARBARA
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