THE HOUSE THE DUTCH BUILT 51 



elsewhere," for there were no trees growing on the 

 land, "wherewith," says De Veer, "we were much 

 comforted, being in good hope that God would show 

 us some further favour ; for that wood served us not 

 only to build our house, but also to burn and serve us 

 all the winter long ; otherwise without all doubt we 

 had died there miserably with extreme cold." 



The timber was collected and piled up in heaps that 

 it might not be hidden under the snow, and two sledges 

 were made on which to drag it to the site of the house. 

 This was heavy work in which all took part, four of 

 them in turn remaining by the ship, there being thir- 

 teen men to each party, five to each sledge, with three 

 to help and lift the wood behind " to make us draw the 

 better and with more ease," and at the end of the first 

 week of it the carpenter died, so that only sixteen were 

 left. But the wood was brought along day after day, 

 some to build with, some for fuel ; and the house was 

 built, the frost so hard at times that " as we put a nail 

 into our mouths, as carpenters do, there would ice hang 

 thereon when we took it out again and made the blood 

 follow " ; and when a great fire was made to soften the 

 ground, in order that earth might be dug to shovel 

 round the house, " it was all lost labour for the earth 

 was so hard and frozen so deep that we could not thaw 

 it, and it would have cost us too much wood." 



The house was roofed with deals obtained by break- 

 ing up the lower deck of the fore part of the ship, and, 

 to make it weather-tight, it was covered with a sail on 

 which afterwards shingle was spread to keep it from 

 being blown off ; and the materials of the cabin yielded 

 the wood for the door. Inside, the house was made as 



