Search for Sir John Franklin. 3561 



vnto it, and put in his head to take out a peece of the beefe, she was 

 shot into the head, wherewith she fell down dead, and never stir'd: 

 the other beare stood still, and lokt upon her fellow, and when she had 

 stood a good while she smelt her fellow, and perceiving that she was 

 dead she ran away." 



[This bear they attacked with " halberds and other arms," but did 

 not succeed in killing. The dead bear they opened, and then " set 

 her vpon her fore feet, that so she might freeze as she stood," intend- 

 ing to carry her with them into Holland.] 



" 27 October. — That day our men killed a white fox, which they 

 flead : and after they had rosted it, ate thereof, which tasted like Con- 

 nies flesh. The same day . . we hung up a lamp to burn in the 

 night time, wherein we used the fat of the beare. 



" 2 November. — One of our men killed a fox with a hatchet, which 

 was flead, rosted, and eaten : before the sunne began to decline, wee 

 saw no foxes, and then the beares vsed to go from vs." 



[From November 4 to January 24 the sun was below the horizon.] 



"27 November. — We made more springes to get foxs, for it stood 

 vs vpon to doe it, because they served vs for meat, as if God had sent 

 them purposely for vs, for we had not much meate." 



" 21 December. — Clensed our traps for the foxes, which did us great 

 pleasure when we tooke, for they seemed as dainty as uenison vnto us. 



" 25 December. — Being Christmas day, it was foule wether, with a 

 north-west wind ; and yet, though it was foule wether, we hard the 

 foxes run ouer our house, wherewith some of our men said it was an 

 ill signe ; and while we sate disputing why it should be an ill signe, 

 some of our men made answere, that it was an ill signe because we 

 could not take them, to put into the pot to rost them, for that had 

 beene a very good signe for vs." 



[January 5, being " Twelf Even," was celebrated as a high festival, 

 with wine, and cake, and other dainties : " and so," says the narrator, 

 " supposing that we were in our owne country, and amongst our 

 friends, it comforted vs as well as if we had made a great banket in 

 our owne house : and we also made tickets, and our gunner was king 

 of Nova Zembla, which is at least two hundred miles long, and lyeth 

 betweene two seas."] 



u 21 January. — It was faire weather, with a west wind : at that time 

 taking of foxes began to faile vs, which was a signe that the beares 

 would soone come againe, as not long after we found it to be true ; for 

 as long as the beares stay away, the foxes came abroad, and not much 

 before the beares came abroad, the foxes were but little seen. 

 X. 2 K 



