BARENTZ' THIRD VOYAGE. 247 



ing the clear water in the east. It however A - D - 



& # 1596. 



proved to be of very limited extent, and finding 

 it impossible to proceed, Barentz was glad to 

 &*et back again to the land ; which he had scarcelv 

 regained before the ice enclosed his vessel; his 

 boats were crushed, and the ship narrowly escaped 

 a similar fate. The weather was now stormy, 

 and the wind having changed to the northward, 

 and made the coast a lee-shore for the vessel, she 

 was in the most imminent peril. 



On the 25th Barentz gave up all hopes of 

 being able to proceed on his voyage, and thought 

 now only of how he could best get back and 

 return home. The northerly wind had set him 

 down to the eastward of Nova Zembla ; and there 

 was so much ice to the northward of him, that 

 it was almost hopeless to think of returning in 

 that direction, whilst, judging from appearances, 

 he had as little to expect by the strait of Wai- 

 gatz in the south. This, however, held out the 

 better prospect of the two, and he used every 

 endeavour to reach it, but the ice was so fast in 

 that direction that it resisted all his efforts ; and, 

 in despair, he turned back and once more tried 

 to get home by the north. ^ In doing this he 

 nearly lost his vessel by the enormous pressure 

 of the ice, which lifted her four feet on one 

 occasion, broke the rudder, and otherwise da- 



