ADVENT OF SPRING. 



137 



On January 5fch they even celebrated Twelfth Night, making merry with a small 

 quantity of wine, pancakes, and white biscuit. They drew lots for a master of revels, 

 and it fell to the gunner, who was made King of Nova Zembla. All this, after all, was 

 more sensible than giving way to the despondency which they could not help feeling at times. 

 On February 12th they shot a bear, the first for the year. The first bullet fired, passing 

 through her body, "went out againe at her tayle, and was as flat as a counter that had 

 been beaten out with a hammer." This was a god-send to them, as now they were enabled 

 to keep their lamps constantly burning, which previously they had often been unable to 



REPAIRING THE KOAT. 



do for want of grease. The bear yielded a hundred pounds of fat. In the latter part of 

 winter the bears came round the house, and attempted to break in the door, while one 

 almost succeeded in entering by the chimney. 



At the beginning of March they saw open water, and were greatly rejoiced, looking 

 hopefully forward to the day of release. In April the ice hummocks on the coast were 

 " risen and piled vp one vpon the other, that it was wonderfull in such manner as if there had 

 bin whole townes made of ice, with towres and bulwarkes round about them." In May their 

 provisions were getting very low, and they themselves were both weakened by inaction and in- 

 sufficiency of food, while the scurvy had made its appearance among some of the number. Im- 

 patient of their long and dreary sojourn, the men, on the 9th and llth of May, came to Barents, 

 .praying him to speak to " the maister (skipper) to make preparations to goe from thence/' On 

 the 15th they consulted together and decided to leave at the end of the month, if "the ship 

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