ch. ix] Barentsz. Lmschoten . De Veer 75 
in great cold, poverty, misery, and grief to stay all the 
winter/' This was on the 26th August. The heavy pack 
ice drifted into the bay, gave the ship several severe nips, 
and firmly wedged her between grounded masses of pack 
ice. But the ice was seen to be in motion in the offing 
until Christmas. 
The crew consisted of 17 souls all told. Fortunately 
there was a large supply of driftwood, and with this, 
eked out by planks from the ship, they built a house, 
32 feet long by 20 broad, into which they removed all 
their provisions and valuables. A chimney was fixed in 
the centre of the roof, a Dutch clock was set up and 
made to strike the hours, bed-places were fixed along 
the walls, and a wine cask was converted into a bath. 
Snowstorms and gales of wind prevailed throughout the 
winter, which had the good effect of drifting snow round 
the house as high as the roof and thus raising the 
temperature within. 
They entered upon the year 1597 " with great cold, 
danger, and disease " ; but strove to keep up their 
spirits by mild festivity on Twelfth-night, their meal 
consisting of a little wine and pancakes of meal and oil. 
Foxes were caught in traps, and occasionally a bear was 
shot, but sickness began to appear from want of exercise 
and unwholesome food. The little ship's boy died, 
Barentsz himself had long been ill, and a man named 
Claas Adrianszoon was also in an almost hopeless state. 
When the summer came and open water appeared 
it was found that the ship was too much damaged by 
the ice to be seaworthy, so it was resolved to retreat in 
the boat and the schuit 1 . Barentsz wrote a paper giving 
an account of their proceedings, which was placed in 
the chimney. They then dragged down the remaining 
provisions and merchants' goods to the boats, and loaded 
them. Willem Barentsz, who was unable to walk, was 
brought down to the boats on a sledge. Claas Adrianszoon 
was conveyed in the same manner; and the forlorn people 
divided themselves between the two boats, each of vhich 
took one of the sick men. They all signed a letter stating 
their reason for abandoning the ship, except four who 
either could not write or were too ill to sign. 
1 The schuit was a larger boat. 
