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TO THE NORTH OF EUROPE. 109
as if con{cious of his danger retired. They advanced to the place from which they had
. feen-him proceed, in order to difcover if he had no lurking hole: they found a large
cavity in the fnow, nearly as deep as the height of a man, narrow at the entrance,
and very wide within: they thruft their pikes into it, and not meeting with any thing,
one of the company even entered it.
- After this they went together to the fea fhore, from which they viewed the mountains
of ice which covered the fea, and which were nearly difpofed like the houfes of a great
city, interfected with towers, {teeples, baftions, and ramparts. On the feventeenth feven
of them returned to their veffel: they there perceived that the water was free, which
induced them to mount thofe heaps of ice, and pafs as well as they could from one to
the other till they reached the water, which they had not approached for fix or feven
months. Arriving there they beheld a little bird which dived into the water and con-
cealed itfelf ; and this induced them to think that the water was more open than it had
been to that time.
On the eighteenth they obferved the altitude, and found themfelves in lat. 75° 58’.
On the firft of May they cooked the remainder of their meat, which was as good as ever,
at leaft they thought fo, and it appeared fuch in eating: it poffeffed however this defect,
that being dreffed it would no longer keep.
On the fecond of May there arofe a violent wind from the S. W. which cleared the
main fea, and left no more ice. ‘They each began then to talk of embarking and re-
turning to Holland, being very weary at the ftay they had made in fo difagreeable and
incommodious a place. On the third all the remainder of the ice was carried away,
except that which furrounded the veffel.
Neverthelefs the beft provifions, and which were the moft fit to give them ftrength,
as meat, oatmeal, and others, failed them at a time when they had occafion to ftrengthen
themfelves in order to fupport the labour they had to perform. With this view the
matter diftributed the remainder of the bacon, and he found enough for three weeks,
at two ounces a day for each man.
On the fourth five of them went to the veffel, which was more inclofed in the ice than
ever, fince in the middle of March it was only feventy-five paces from the open water,
and at that time five hundred: this was a great fubjedt of affliction, for they were not
aware that they could drag the {chuyt or fhallop to the fea. In the night a bear having
come to the door of the hut, retired when he heard the voices and noife, as one of the
failors obferved who had afcended the chimney ; {fo that it feemed the bears began to
be afraid, and dared not attack the men with their ufual boldnefs.
On the fifth, when the fun was at the loweft, they beheld it at a confiderable height
above the horizon. On the feventh and eighth the {now again fell in fuch quantities
that they were obliged to remain in their hut, where fome of the failors propofed to
{peak to the matter, and reprefent to him that it was time to leave that fatal place. Ne-
verthelefs no one dared to undertake it, becaufe he had fignified and had deferred their
departure to the end of June, when they might hope the veflel would be dilengaged from
the ice, being the fineft weather of the fummer. On the ninth all the crew, {till more
urged with defire of returning, entreated Barentfz to fpeak to the mafter, and to per-
fuade him to embark; but Barent{z {topped them by his remonftrances, and made them
again defer their purpofe.
On the fifteenth Barent!z having again been folicited fpoke to the mafter, who told
him that they fhould only wait till the end of the prefent month, and that if the veflel
was not difengaged in that time, they fhould prepare to fit up the fchuyt and fhallop and
depart. ‘his anfwer revived the crew; but the period appeared very remote, becaufe
it would require a confiderable time to refit thefe little vetiels and equip them.
i ’ On
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