1595, WILLIAM BARENTZ. 145 



have instantly " bit his head in sunder and suckt 

 out his blood ;" and on being attacked by about 

 twenty people, some with pikes, and others with 

 muskets, she turned furiously upon the p^^rty, 

 seized upon one of them, whom she tore in pieces, 

 and all the rest ran away. The people on board, 

 perceiving what had happened, went on shore, and 

 about thirty made an attack on this furious 

 animal. The purser shot her in the head between 

 the eyes, which did not oblige her to let go her 

 hold of the dead man, but she lifted up her head 

 with the dead man in her mouth ; on perceiving, 

 however, that she began to stagger, the purser and 

 a Scotchman drew out their cutlasses and struck 

 her with such force that both broke; still she held 

 fast her prey, till one William Geysen felled her to 

 the ground by striking with all his might with his 

 piece upon her snovit, when they contrived to dis- 

 patch her, by cutting her throat. 



Finding it impossible, on account of the great 

 quantity of ice, to make any progress in the Tar- 

 tarian sea, and " the weather being mistie, melan- 

 cholyy and snowie," they drove with the current 

 back again through the strait, and on the 15th 

 September the whole fleet took their departure 

 from Waigatz; on the 29th they entered Wardhuys, 

 from whence they sailed again on the 10th Octo- 

 ber, and on the 18th November arrived in the 

 Maes. 



VOL. I. L 



