Chap. I. and his wintering 
Pieces. In this Extremity I made them open more 
Sail, and fo forced her in among the Rocks and broken 
Grounds, and where there were many large Pieces of Ice 
aground. We went over many great Pieces of Rocks 
that had but twelve or thirteen Feet Water on themj and 
fo let' fall an Anchor ; this Anchor had never been able 
to wind up the Ship, but that by good Fortune the Ship 
ran againft a great Piece of Ice that was aground : This 
Shock broke the main Knee of her Beakhead* and a 
Corner of it tore away four of our main Shrouds, and 
an Anchor that we had at her Bow j and fo flopped her 
Way that flie did wind up to her Anchor. 
We faw the fharp Rocks under us, and had but fifteen 
Feet Water-, being alfo in the Tides Way, where the Ice 
would drive upon us. Our Boat we could not fee, which 
made us doubt fhe had been cruflied to pieces in her was 
the third Part of our Company but foon after we faw 
her come about a Point among the Rocks, flie had re- 
covered our Kedger, which made us joyful ; with all 
fpeed we laid out Hawfers to the Rocks, and every one 
worked to the befl of his Strength to warp her out of this 
dangerous Place to the Rock’s Side, where we had three 
Fathom Water, and were under the Shelter of a great 
Piece of Ice that was aground, which kept off the ftrag- 
gling Ice that otherwife would have driven upon us. Here 
we lay very v;ell at the Ebb, but when the Flood came 
we were affaulted with Pieces of Ice, that every half Flour 
put us into defperate Diftrefs we worked continually to 
keep off the Ice : At full Sea our great Piece of Ice which 
was our Buckler was afloat, and do what we could 
got away from us, and left us in imminent Danger from 
the Ice that drove in upon us but tlie Ebb being once 
made, this great Piece of Ice came again aground, very 
favourable to us, and fheltered us all the reft of the Ebb. 
All Night we wrought hard to fliift our Cables, Flawfers, 
and to make them faft aloft on the Rocks, that the Ice 
might the better pafs under them. All Day and Night it 
fnov/ed hard, and blew a Storm at Weft, which drove in 
all the Ice out of the Sea upon us. In working againft 
the Violence of the Ice, the Flook of our Kedger was 
broken, two Arms of our Grapnels, and two Flawfers, 
our Shallop being again very much bruifed ; whereupon 
we went to work to repair it. This Tide the Harbour 
was choaked full of Ice, fo that it feemed firm and im- 
moveable, but when the Ebb came it moved ; fome 
great Pieces came aground, which altered the Courfe of 
the other Ice, and put us on the Rocks. 
Here, notwithftanding our Utmoft Endeavours, ftie 
fettled upon a fliarp Rock, about a Yard above the 
main Maft, and as the V/ater ebbed away, fhe hung 
after her Head, and held to the Offing : We made faft 
Cables and Hawfers aloft to her Mails, and fo to the 
Rocks, ftraining them tough with our Tackles ; but as 
the Water ebbed away fhe was turned over, that v/e 
could not ftand in her. Having now done to the 
beft of our Underftandings, but to little Purpofe, we 
went all upon a Piece of Ice and fell to Prayer, befeech- 
ing God to be m.erciful unto us. It wanted yet an Hour 
to low Water, , and the Tide wanted a Foot and Flalf to 
ebb to, what it had ebbed the laft Tide : V 7 e were careful 
Obfervers of low Watery and had Marks by Stones and 
other Things which we hH fet up, fo that we could not 
be deceived. The Ship was fo turned over that the Port- 
lefs of the Forecaftle was in the Water, and we looked 
every Minute when flie would overfet j indeed at one 
Time the Cables gave way, and fhe funk down half a 
Foot at that Slip ; butunexpedledly it began to flow, and 
fenfibly we perceived the Water began to rife apace, and 
the Ship withal •, then was our Sorrow turned to Joy, and 
we all fell on our Knees, praifing God for his Mercy in 
fo miraculous a Deliverance. As foon as fhe was freed 
from this Rock, \ye wrought to get her farther off. All 
the Flood we were pretty clear from the Ice, but when the 
Ebb came the Ice came driving again upon us, which 
drove us to great Extremity ; We got as many Pieces 
between us and the Rocks as we could, but there came a 
great Piece upon our Quarter, which was above three 
hundred of my Paces about, but it came aground. 
Thus came divers great Pieces befides ; which was the Oc- 
Vol.IL Numb. 97, 
in Charlton liland. 409' 
cafion that this Tide the Flarbour was quite choaked up 
fo that a Man might go any Way over it from Side to 
Side. 
When it was three Quarters Ebb, thofe great Pieces 
that came aground began to break with a moft terrible 
thundering Noife, which put us in great Fear that thofe 
about us would break us all to Pieces ; but God preferved 
us. This Morning the Water veered to a lower Ebb ■ 
than the laft Tide it had done by two Feet, whereby we 
faw God’s Mercy appear to us in our late Extremity. 
That Flood we had fome Refpite from our Labours, but 
after full Sea our Hopes ebb’d too. The great Piece that 
was by us fo ftopt the Channel that the Sea came all driv- 
ing upon us, fo that now undoubtedly we thought to have 
loft our Ship. 
To work we went with Axes, Bars of Iron, and any 
thing proper for fuch a Purpofe, to break the Corners of 
the Ice, and to make way for it to go from us. It pleafed 
God to give good Succefs to our Labours, and we got fo 
much of the fofter Sort of the Ice betwixt us and the 
Rocks, that we thought ourfelves pretty fecure : But at 
low Water thofe Pieces tha& were aground breaking, 
kept a moft thundering Noife about us. This Day I went 
afhore, and built ' a great Beacon with Stones upon the 
higheft Place of the Hand,' and put a Crofs upon it, 
and named this Haven, 1 ’he Harbour of Good Provi- 
dence. 
4. On the 23d in the Morning with the Flood the Ice 
drove up among the broken Grounds, and v/ith the Ebb 
drove all out except one great Piece, which coming 
aground not far from us, fettled itfelf in fuch a Manner 
that we much feared it ; But there came no more, other- 
wife we muft have expefled as- great Danger as hereto- 
fore. I took the Boat and went afhore upon the Eaflern 
Side, to fee if I could find any Place free from Danger, 
and where, among the Rocks, I deferied a likely Place* 
Fffom the Top of the Hill where I was I could fee the 
Ship. It was now almoft lowWater : At v/hich Inftant the 
great Piece of Ice broke with a terrible Noife in four 
Pieces, which made me afraid it had fpoiled the Ship, it 
being full half Maft high. I made what Flafte I could 
to the Boat, and fo to the Ship to be fatisfied, where I 
found ail well, God be thanked. 1 inftantly fent away 
the Boat to found the Way to a Cove which I had found, 
which was a very dangerous Paffage for the Boat. At 
her Return we unmoored the Ship, and with what Speed 
poffible vrarped away irom among this terrible Ice. We 
were not a Mile from them before they broke all to 
Pieces, and would furely have made us bear them. Com- 
pany, but that God was more merciful to us. 
We got round the Rocks, and fo in to this little Cove. 
Here we made faft to the Rocks, and thought ourfelves 
indifferently fafe , which being done, I went afhore again 
to wander up and down, to fee vrhat I could difeever : I 
found it all broken rocky Ground, and not fo much as a 
Tree, Herb, or Grafs upon it. Some Ponds of Water 
there were upon it, which were not yet thawed, and there- 
fore not ready for the Fowl. We did not find in the 
Snow any Footing of Deer or Bears, but Foxes we faw 
one or two. We found where the Savages had been, but 
it appeared to have been long fince ; They had made five 
Flearths, and we found a few Fire-brands about them j 
and we found fome Pleads and Bones of Foxes about 
them, with fome Whale-bones. I could not conceive to 
what Purpofe they fhould have come thither, for we 
could find none or very little Wood on the Shore-fide, 
and no Fifh at all, though we endeavoured to take fome. 
But it may be the Seafon was not yet come. I called 
this Cove by the Mailer’s Name of my Ship, Pricers Cove : 
The Latitude of it is 61 Degrees 24 Minutes. The Fire- 
brands and Chips, which I fpoke of, had been cut with 
fome Hatchet or other Inftrument of Iron. From the 
Top of the Hills we could fee the Hands that are on the 
South Shore, commonly called Sir Thomas Button^ s If ands^ 
They bear South and by Eaft, half a Point Eafterly, 
fome fourteen or fifteen Leagues Diftance. Upon the 
Change-Day it flows here at feven o’ Clock and a half, 
and the Tide higheft at moft three Fathom. The Flood 
comes from the Eaftward, and thither it returns. I have 
5 M been 
