56 NOVAYA ZEMLYA 



showing how we came out of Holland to sail to the 

 kingdom of China, and what had happened to us." 

 Then Barents was taken down to the shore on a sledge 

 and put into one boat, the other sick man, Andriesz, 

 being placed in the other, and " with a west-north-west 

 wind and an indifferent open water " they set sail on a 

 voyage of over fifteen hundred miles among the ice, 

 over the ice, and through the sea. 



Barents, though they little suspected it, had but a 

 few days to live. As they passed the northernmost 

 cape of Novaya Zemlya, " Gerrit," he said to De Veer, 

 "if we are near the Ice Point, just lift me up again. 

 I must see that point once more." They were amongst 

 the ice floes again ; soon they had to make fast to one ; 

 and then they became shut in and forced to stay there. 

 Next day their only means of safety lay in hauling 

 their boats up on to a floe, taking the sick men out on 

 to the ice and putting the clothes and other things 

 under them ; but after mending the boats, which had 

 been much bruised and crushed, they drifted into a 

 little open water and got afloat. On the 20th of June, 

 about eight in the morning it became evident that 

 Andriesz was nearing his end. " Methinks," said 

 Barents, in the other boat, when he heard of it, " with 

 me too it will not last long." But still his companions 

 did not realise how ill he was, and talked on uncon- 

 cernedly. Then he looked at the little chart which 

 De Veer had made of the voyage. Putting it down, 

 he said, " Gerrit, give me something to drink." And 

 no sooner did he drink than he suddenly died. Thus 

 passed away their chief guide and only pilot, than 

 whom none better ever sailed the northern seas. 



