VAN HEEMSKERC1TS BOAT VOYAGE 57 



Working their way down the west coast of the long 

 island, putting in every now and then in search of birds 

 and eggs, constantly in peril from the floating ice and 

 the bears, they slowly came south. When passing 

 Admiralty Peninsula they had to deal with a danger 

 of their own causing. They sighted about two hun- 

 dred walruses upon one of the floes. Sailing close to 

 them they drove them off, "which," says De Veer, 

 "had almost cost us dear, for they, being mighty 

 strong sea monsters, swam towards us round about our 

 boats with a great noise as if they would have devoured 

 us ; but we escaped from them by reason that we had a 

 good gale of wind, yet it was not wisely done of us to 

 waken sleeping wolves." 



Day by day De Veer tells the story of that adven- 

 turous voyage, with its long succession of dangers and 

 disappointments, until they reached the mainland and 

 sent the Lapland messenger to Kola, who returned 

 with a letter from Jan Corneliszoon Rijp, who at 

 first they could not believe was the old friend from 

 whom they had parted at Bear Island ; and more 

 briefly he continues the story until Amsterdam was 

 reached on the 1st of November, when the survivors, in 

 the same clothes they wore in their winter quarters, 

 fur caps and white fox-skins, walked up to the house of 

 Pieter Hasselaer to report themselves on arrival and 

 received the hearty welcome they deserved. 



Though Van Heemskerck had failed to make the 

 passage to the east by way of the north, he was 

 perhaps destined for greater fame on the far less 

 rigorous route. Like Nelson he went on an Arctic 

 expedition that failed, and then secured a place in 



