THE SUN REAPPEARS 23 



cold would nip us in such a sort that it made us as sore 

 as if we had been beaten in some cruel manner." 



Provisions were running low ; the men began to talk 

 of famine, and the outlook became daily gloomier until 

 the 3rd of February. " This proved a marvellous cold 

 day ; yet a fair and clear one ; about the middle 

 whereof, all clouds now quite dispersed and night's 

 sable curtain drawn, Aurora with her golden face 

 smiled once again upon us, at her rising out of her 

 bed ; for now the glorious sun with his glittering beams 

 began to gild the highest tops of the lofty mountains. 

 The brightness of the sun and the whiteness of the 

 snow, both together, were such as that it was able to 

 revive even a dying spirit. But to make a new addi- 

 tion to our new joy, we might perceive two bears (a she 

 one with her cub) now coming towards our tent ; 

 whereupon we, straight arming ourselves with our lances, 

 issued out of the tent to await her coming. She soon 

 cast her greedy eyes upon us, and with full hopes of 

 devouring us she made the more haste unto us ; but 

 with our hearty lances we gave her such a welcome as 

 that she fell down and biting the very snow for anger." 



Then more bears came to be eaten ; then the birds 

 began to arrive, and the foxes to come out of their 

 winter earths to be trapped to the number of fifty ; 

 then the reindeer returned ; and then, on the 25th May, 

 two ships of Hull came into the sound from which a 

 boat's crew landing unperceived came close up to the 

 tent and shouted "Hey!" And Ayers, the only man 

 at the moment in the outer tent, shouted " Ho !" -and 

 Pellham and his shipmates had proved it to be possible 

 to live through a winter in Spitsbergen. 



