34 VOYAGE INTO 



ice-fields you shall see ; so that you cannot look over them ; 

 for about the west, as they call it, are larger ice-fi.elds to be 

 seen than about Sjntzhergen, quite white at the top, covered 

 with snow, so that there is but ill walking upon them, be- 

 cause you fall deep in the snow. 



The prints of the hears footing we saw on the shoar of the 

 ice-fields, for they seek their prey in the water, which is the 

 dead cai-kases of the whales ; the foxes generally accompany 

 them, for their choicer food of birds is here scarcer than at 

 Spitzhergen, for they flock not together, but fly singly. 



When they sail some miles into the ice, where there is 

 pretty large ice-fields, they joyn their ships to them with 

 great ice-hooks, fastened to strong cables, where they lie at 

 anchor, several ships about the same ice-field, but they rather 

 chose to be alone, because they are an hindrance to one 

 another in ?t'7^a/e-catching, and the hunting of them one to 

 another maketh them shie. 



Amongst the ice we find no great waves, but it is pretty 

 smooth, even when it is somewhat stormy. All the danger 

 is from one ice-field being bigger than the other, and the 

 little ones swiming faster than the great ones, which often 

 causeth a stoppage, so that they crowd upon one another, 

 not without great danger of the ships, which are ofteii 

 catcht between, and broken by them. 



The seamen hinder the pressing on of the ice, as much as 

 in them licth, with great ice-hooks ; but what small help this 

 aftbrdeth them daily experience testifies sufficiently. In 

 fair weather the mischief is as soon done as in tempestuous, 

 because the ice drives in the sea either Avith the stream or 

 wind, as either of them is the more prevalent, crashing and 

 grinding against each other, whence the danger arises to 

 the ships, for after such a manner many ships perish. 



They say that a dead ivJiale, tied to the ship, is the best 

 defence against the ice. Others hang the tails and fins about 

 their ship, which way is not to be rejected, for it is of great 



