268 DISCOVERIES OF I676. 



shore, except two who were drowned in the pin- 

 nace, and all the bread, powder, and provisions 

 then in that boat were spoiled or lost. After the 

 ship had gone to pieces, this loss was amply repaid, 

 as several casks of flour, butter, beef and pork 

 were driven on shore, with spars and other articles, 

 sufficient for making tents and for fuel. No 

 human inhabitants made their appearance, but a 

 great white bear seized hold of the gunner, who, 

 by giving immediate alarm, was saved from his 

 jaws, and the bear killed. 



They remained on shore nine days, in a situ- 

 ation of the greatest anxiety, and but ill provided 

 with provisions, ammunition, and clothing ; and 

 without seeing any thing of the l^•osperous on ac- 

 count of the foggy weather. At the end of this 

 period it was proposed to set out by land towards 

 Waigatz, in the hope of meeting with some Russian 

 vessel to transport them to the continent; when, 

 just at this time, to their unspeakable joy, they es- 

 pied, on the 8th Jul}^ the Prosperous, on which 

 they made a great fire to point out their situ- 

 ation ; and on the same day the whole got safely on 

 board that ship. It is not difficult to foresee what 

 would have been the consequences to the whole 

 party had they proceeded ; for, as the boat could not 

 carry above thirty men, and there were sixty-six in 

 the whole, " this," Wood observes, " occasioned no 

 small discontent among us, every one challenging 

 the same right with the others ; all I could do in 



