MO 



THE SEA. 



to inform the others that he could not live long; "whereupon," says De Veer, "William 

 Barents spake and said, I think I shall not liue long after him ; and yet we did not 

 ivdge "William Barents to be so sicke, for we sat talking one with the other, and spake 

 of many things, and William Barents looked at my little chart which I had made of our 

 voyage (and we had some discussion about it). At last he laid away the chart and spake 

 vnto me, saying, Gerrit, give me some drinke ; and he had so sooner drunke but he was 

 taken with so sodaine a qua! me that he turned his eies in his head and died presently, 

 and we had no time to call the maister out of the other scute to speak vnto him ; and 



UNLOADING, DRAGGING, AND CARRYING BOATS AND GOODS. 



so he died before Claes Adrianson (who died shortly after him). The death of William 

 Barents put us in no small discomfort, as being the chiefe guide and only pilot on whom 

 we reposed our selues next under God ; but we could not striue against God, and therefore 

 we must of force be content." Other passages indicate that Barents had inspired great 

 affection in the hearts of his companions, and that his loss was felt with much 

 poignancy. 



The following passage is only one of many indicating the laborious nature of their 

 undertaking: " The 22 of June in the morning it blew a good gale out of the south- 

 east, and then the sea was reasonably open, but we were forced to draw our scutes ouer 

 the ice to get vnto it, which was great paine and labour unto vs ; for first we were forced 

 to draw our scutes over a peece of ice of 50 paces long, and then put them into the water, 

 and then againe to draw them vp vpon other ice, and after draw them at the least 



