RUSSIAN ROBINSON CRUSOES. 203 



their now useless gun, and twisted their bowstrings 

 out of reindeers' entrails. They made traps and 

 nets for birds and foxes. With these rude and im- 

 perfect weapons they not only provided themselves 

 with food and raiment, but kept off the assaults of 

 the Polar bears. It is almost incredible ; but these 

 men not only survived, but preserved good health 

 for six long years. It seems extraordinary that 

 such energetic fellows as they clearly were should 

 not, in all that time, have contrived to travel across 

 the country, or round the shore, to the west coast, 

 where they would have been certain of relief every 

 summer, especially as they were on the most deso- 

 late part of the island, and one often inaccessible, 

 and always little frequented by the whalers. In 

 the sixth year of their captivity one of the four 

 died, and the survivors began to lose all hope of 

 deliverance, and to fall into a state of despondence, 

 which would certainly have soon proved fatal to 

 them all had not a vessel at this time fortunately 

 approached the coast and rescued them. During 

 their long banishment these poor Robinson Cru- 

 soes had killed such quantities of bears, deer, seals, 

 and foxes, that the proceeds of the skins and blub- 

 ber made a small fortune for them. 



Other parties of winterers were left on these des- 

 olate shores, both accidentally and intentionally ; 

 and although in some cases they all miserably 

 perished, still the possibility of maintaining life 

 throughout the horrors of a Spitzbergen winter was 



