l620. JENS MUNK. 233 



desponding a state, as to expect nothing but 

 death. At length however, pressed by hunger, he 

 had the resolution to crawl out of his hovel and 

 inquire into the fate of his unhappy companions ; 

 he found only two alive, all the rest having perished. 

 These three men encouraged each other to make 

 an attempt to procure some species of food ; they 

 scratched aw^ay the snow and found some plants 

 and roots, which they eagerly devoured. By 

 degrees they were able to take fish in the river, as 

 the ice disappeared, birds, and other animals. They 

 now thought of getting home, and for this purpose 

 equipped the little vessel from the stores in the 

 large one ; they re-passed Hudson's Strait, and 

 after a stormy passage, in which the ship was 

 almost abandoned to herself, they arrived safely in 

 a port of Norway on the 25th September. 



They were received in Denmark as men risen 

 from the grave : and the recital of their adven- 

 tures and sufferings created a general sympathy 

 in their favour. Such indeed appears to have 

 been the interest excited by these new discoveries 

 that Munk, notwithstanding his sufferings, once 

 more proposed to make the attempt to discover a 

 north-west passage. A subscription was set on 

 foot for that purpose, and every thing was made 

 ready for his departure. On taking leave of the 

 court, the conversation turned on the misfortunes of 

 his former enterprize, and the King, in admonish- 

 ing him to be more cautious than in his last 



