GREENLAND. 275 



ill a Labyrinth, as it were, of a perpetuall miscrie, wee 

 thought it not best to give too much way unto our griefes ; 

 i'caving they also would most of all have wrought upon our 

 weakenesse. Our prayers we now redoubled unto the Al- 

 mighty, for strength and patience in these our miseries, and 

 the Lord graciously listncd unto us, and granted these our 

 petitions. By his assistance therefore, wee shooke off these 

 thoughts and checr'd up our selves againe, to use the best 

 meanes for our preservations. 



Now, therefore, began we thinke upon our Venison and 

 the preserving of that, and how to order our firing in this 

 cold weather. For feare, therefore, our firing should faile 

 us at the end of the yeare, wee thought best to roast every 

 day halfe a Deere and to stow it in hogsheads. Which wee, 

 putting now in practice, wee forthwith filled three Hogs- 

 heads and an halfe, leaving so much raw as would serve to 

 roast every Sabbath day a quarter, and so for Christmas day 

 and the like. 



This conclusion being made amongst us, then fell wee 

 againe to bethinke us of our miseries, both passed and to 

 come : and how (though if it pleased God to give us life) 

 yet should we live as banished men, not oncly from our 

 friends but li'om all other compauie. Then thought we of 

 the pinching cold and of the pining hunger ; these were our 

 thoughts, this our discourse to passe away the time withall. 

 But as if all this miserie had beene too little, we presently 

 found another increase of it : For, examining our provisions 

 once more, wee found that all our Frittars of the Whale 

 were almost spoyled with the wet that they had taken, — 

 after which, by lying so close together, they were now 

 growne mouldie; And our Beare and Venison we perceived 

 againe, not to amount to such a qu.antity as to allow us five 

 meales a weeke, — whereupon, we were faine to shorten our 

 stomacks of one meale more, — so, that for the space of three 

 moneths after that, we for fourc dayes in the weeke fed upon 



