248 BARENTZ' THIRD VOYAGE. 



a.j). maged her. The winter also began to set in, 

 and there seemed to be no alternative but that 

 of securing the vessel, if possible, where she lay, 

 and making the best preparation he could for 

 passing the winter there ; which he was en- 

 couraged to do by the discovery of a quantity 

 of drift wood lying upon the shore not far from 

 the vessel. 



On the 11th of September Barentz came to 

 this determination, and it was resolved to build 

 a house, " to keepe and defend ourselues both 

 from the cold and the wild beastes. 1 ' Before 

 this was done, the party had the misfortune to 

 lose the carpenter, who would have been of the 

 greatest assistance to them in their undertaking, 

 another of the crew being also taken ill. This 

 indeed was a melancholy catastrophe ; but, in no 

 way discouraged by the foreboding, they worked 

 incessantly at the building, notwithstanding the 

 cold was so intense that, to use the expression 

 of De Veer, " as we put a naile into our 

 mouthes (as carpenters use to do) there would 

 ice hang thereon when wee tooke it out againe, 

 and make the blood follow." The bears, also 

 were a serious inconvenience to them, by obliging 

 the parties to go armed, and in great strength. 

 Amidst all these discouraging circumstances, the 

 crew pursued their occupations, trusting in that 



