AT HOME IN NOVA ZEMBLA. 135 



comrades on the Almighty was not less firm or sincere because His name was not in- 

 cessantly on their lips. Cheerfulness, and even frequent hilarity, could not fail to be 

 the concomitants of so wholesome a tone of mind." 



On September 15th two bears made their appearance, and there was great excitement, 

 the men being anxious to shoot them. A tub or barrel of salt beef was standing on the 

 ice near the ship, and one of the bears put his head into it to get out a joint of the meat. 

 But "she fared therewith," says the narrator, "as the dog did with ye pudding ;* for as 

 she was snatching at the beefe she was shot into the head, wherewith she fell downe dead 

 and neuer stir'd (there we saw a curious sight) ; the other beare stood still, and lokt 

 vpon her fellow (as if wondering why she remained so motionless), and when she had 

 stood a good while she smelt her fellow, and perceiuing that she lay still and was dead, 

 she ran away, and all pursuit was vain." 



At length their house was completed; it had been built partly from the drift-wood, 

 and partly from the deck timbers and other portions of the ship. The original illustration, 

 a very quaint picture, shows the fire in the middle of the floor, and a large chimney 

 immediately over it. In other illustrations in De Veer's works the chimney is surmounted 

 by a barrel, which served the same purpose for the " look out " as the " crow's nest " or 

 observatory in modern Arctic vessels. An oil lamp swung in the centre of the room, and 

 a large bench, with divisions, served for resting places by night. The old Dutch clock, 

 the works of which became frozen during the winter, is shown hanging on the wall, while 

 the large twelve-hour sand-glass, which replaced it, is also included. A large wine-vat 

 or barrel, standing on end, requires explanation. It was used as a vapour or steam bath, 

 a hole in the side being cut both for air and as a door or opening for ingress or egress. 

 The steam was in all probability made by placing hot stones in a small quantity of water 

 at the bottom of the barrel. The writer has in Alaska (formerly Russian America) often 

 used a steam bath of a construction almost as primitive, "where in a small room the required 

 vapour was raised by throwing water on a little furnace or fire-place, built of stones, which 

 were kept at a white heat by a fire inside. Round the walls of the room were shelves or 

 benches, on which one could recline, and by selecting the upper or lower ones, as the case 

 might be, enjoy a greater or a lesser degree of heat. 



On November 4th the last feeble rays of the sun took leave of them, and intense cold 

 followed. Their wine and spruce-beer became frozen, and separated into two parts, the 

 water being ice, and the remainder a thick glutinous liquid. Melted together again, they 

 were nearly undrinkable. Wood does not appear to have been scarce till later in the winter, 

 although they had to fetch some of it a distance of several miles. They once tried a fire 

 of coal in the middle of their room, but the experiment was not repeated, as the sulphurous 

 smoke nearly suffocated them. Their thickest European clothing was utterly insufficient 

 for the climate they had to endure. During the winter they killed and trapped a few bears 

 and foxes, and some of their skins were of course utilised. The former, however, disappeared 

 with the sun, and only reappeared when it again showed itself. 



* A Dutch proverb, used when an undertaking turns out badly. The dog stole a sausage, and got well whipped 

 for his pains. 



