Captain James i Voyage into Hudfon’s Bay^ Book IL 
on the infide ; and it froze hard within a Yard of the 
Fire-fide. When I landed firft upon this IHand, I found 
.a Spring under a Hill’s fide, which Tthen obihrving, I 
cauied feme Trees to be cut, for Marks to know the 
Place again by. It was about three Fourths of a Mile 
from our Houfe. ' I fent three of our Men which had 
been with me thither. Upon the 24th thefe wandering 
through the Snow, at laft found the Place, and Ihoveling 
away the Snow they made Way to the very Head of 
it. They found it fpring very ftrongly, and brought me 
a Can of it, for which I v/as right joyful. This Spring 
continued all the Year, and did not freeze, but that we 
could break the Ice and come to it. We laboured very 
hard thefe three or four Days to get Wood to thePloufe, 
which we found to be very troublefome, through the deep 
Snow. 
22. We then fettled our Bedding and Provifions, pro- 
viding to keep Chriftmas-Day holy, which we folem- 
nized in the joyfulleft Manner we could.. So likewife 
did we St. johyf% Day, upon which we named the 
Wood we did winter in, in Memory ol that honourable 
Knight, Sir John JVinter, Winter’s Fo^^eji., and now, 
inftead of a ChriftmasTale, I will defcribe the Houfe that 
v/e did live in, with thofe adjoining. When I firft re- 
folved to build a Floufe, I chofe the warmeft, and con- 
venienteft Place, and the neareft the Ship withal. It was 
among a Tuft of thick Trees, under a South Bank, 
about a flight Shot from the Sea-fide. True it is, that 
at that Time we could not dig into the Ground to make 
us a Hole or Cave in the Earth, which had been the 
beft VvTy, becaufe we found Water digging within two 
Feet, and therefore that Projeft failed-, it was a white 
light Sand, fo that we could by no Means make up a 
Mud-Wall. 
As for Stones there were none near us ; befides we 
were all now covered with the Snow. We had no 
Boards for fuch a Purpofe, and therefore we muft do the 
beft we could with fuch Materials as we had about us. 
The Houfe was fquare about twenty Feet every Way, 
as much namely as our main Courfe could well cover. 
Firft we drove long Stakes into the Earth, round about 
v^hich we wattled with Boughs, as thick as might be, 
beating them down very clofe. This, our firft Work, 
was fix Feet high on both Sides, but at the Ends was 
almoft up to the very Top. There we left two FIolcs 
for the Light to come in at, and the fame Way the 
Smoak did vent out alfo. Moreover I caufed, at both 
Ends, three f<ows of Bufh Trees to be ftuck up, as 
clofe together as poffible. Then, at a Diftance from the 
FJoufe, we cut down Trees, proportioning them into 
Lengths of fix Feet, with which we made a Pile on both 
Sides, fix Feet thick, and fix Feet high ; but at both 
Ends ten Feet high, and fix Feet thick. We left a lit- 
tle low Door to creep into, and a Portal before that, 
luade with Piles of Wood, that the Wind might not 
blow into it. Vv^e next faftened a rough Tree aloft, 
over all, upon which we laid our Rafters, and our main 
Courfe, over them again ; which lying thwartways over 
all, reached down to the very Ground^ on either Side ; 
and this was the Fabric of the outfide of it. 
On the infide we made faft our Bonnet Sails round 
about, then we drove in Stakes, and made us Bedfliead 
Frames, about three Sides of the Houfe, which Bedfteads 
we doubled one under another, the lowermoft being a 
Foot from the Ground. Thefe we firft filled with 
Boughs, then we laid our fpare Sails on that, and then 
our Bedding and Cloaths. W e made a Hearth in the 
Middle of the Houfe, and on it made our Fire j fome 
Boards we laid round our Hearth to ftand upon, that 
the cold Damp ftiould not ftrike up into us. With our 
wafte Cloaths we made us Canopies and Curtains, others 
did the lik6 with our fmall Sails. Our fecond Houfe 
was not more than twenty Feet Diftance from this, and 
made, for the Wattling, much after the fame Manner, 
but it was lefs, and covered with our fore Courfe. It had 
no Piles on the South-fide, but, in lieu of that, we piled 
up all our C^hefts on the infide ; and, indeed, the Reflex 
pf the Heat of the Fire againft them did make it warmer 
than the Manfion-Houfe. In this Houfe we dreflfed our 
Victuals, and fubprdinat? Crew did refrelE themfeives 
I 
all Day in it. A third Houfe, v/hich was our Stores 
houfe, was tv/enty-nine Paces 'off from this, for fear of 
firing. 
This Houfe was only a rough Tree faftened afoft, 
with Rafters laid from it to the Ground, and covered 
over with our new fuit of Sails. On the Infide we had 
laid fmall Trees, and covered them over with Boughs, 
and fo ftored up our Bread and Fifli in it, about two Feet 
from the Ground, the better to prefer ve them ; the other 
things lay more carelefsly. Long before Chriftmas our 
Manfion-Houfe was covered thick over with Snow, al- 
moft to the very Roof of it ; and fo likewife was our 
fecond Houfe, but our Store-houfe all over, by Reafon 
we made no Fire in it. 
Thus we feemed to live in a Heap and a Wildernefs 
of Snow j for out of our Doors we could not go, but 
upon the Snow, in which we made us Paths Middle deep 
in fome Places, and in one fpecial Place the Length of 
ten Steps. To do this, we muft ftiovel away the Snow 
firft, and then, by treading, make it fomething hard un- 
der Foot. The Snow, in this Path, v/as a full Yard thick 
under us. And this was our beft Gallery for our fick 
Men,^ and for my own ordinary Walking j and both 
Floules and Walks we daily accommodated more and 
more, and made fitter for our Ufes. On the 27th we 
got our Boat afhore, and fetched up fome of cur Provi- 
fions from the Beach-fide, into the Store-houfe, and fo 
by degrees did we v/ith the reft of our Provifions, with 
Extremity of Cold and Labour, making Way with 
Shovels through the thick Snow, even from the Sea-fide 
to our Store-houfe and thus concluded we the old Year 
1631. 
23. The firft of January., 1632, and for the moft 
part all the Month, was extreme cold. Tiie 6th I ob~ 
ferved the Latitude with what Exadlnefs I could, it being 
clear ftmfhiny Weather, v/hich I found to be 51 Degrees 
52 Minutes ; this Difference is by Reafon that there is a 
great Refradlion. On the 21ft I obferved the Sun to rife 
like an Oval along the .Horizon ; I called three or four 
to fee it, the better to confirm my Judgment ; and we all 
agreed that it was twice as long as it was broad. We 
plainly perceived withal, that by Degrees, as it got up 
higher, it alfo recovered its roundnefs. The 30th and 
31ft there appeared, in the Beginning of the Night, 
more Stars in the Firmament than ever I had before feen, 
by two Thirds I could fee the Clouds in Cancer full of 
fmall Stars. About ten o’clock the Moon rofe, and then 
a Quarter of them were not to be feen. The Wind, for 
the moft Part of this Month, hath been Northerly, 'and 
very cold. The warmeft of which Time' v/e employed 
curfelves in fetching W ood, working upon our Pinnace, 
and other things. In the Beginning of this Month the 
Sea was all firmly frozen over, fo that we could fee no 
Water any where. I hope it vvill not feem tedious to the 
Readers, if I here deliver my Opinion, how this Abun- 
dance of Ice comes to be ingendered. 
The Land that incircles this great Bay, v/hich lies in a 
broken irregular Form, making many little Shole-Bays 
and Guts, full of Iflands and dry Sands, is, for the moft: 
Part, low and fiat, and hath Sholes adjoining to it half 
a Mile or a Mile, that are dry at Iqw Water. Now you 
muft know that it flows half Tide, that is, from whence 
the Flood cometh, the Water returneth two Hours be- 
fore it is high Water, or full Sea. It feldom rains after 
the Middle of September., but then falls Snow, and that 
Snow will not melt on the Land, or Sands. At low 
Water, when it fnows, the Sands are all covered over, 
which the half Tide carries twice in four Hours into the 
great Bay, which is the common Rendezvous of it. Every 
low Water the Sands are left clear, to gather more to the 
Increafe of it. 
Thus it daily gathers together in this Manner, till the 
latter End of Ocioler ; and by that Time it brings the 
Sea to that Coldnefs, that as it fnows, the Snow v/ill lie 
upon the Water in Flakes, without changing Colour bur 
with the Wind is wrought together, and as the Winter 
goes forward, it begins to freeze upon the Surface of it, 
two or three Inches or more in one Night ; which being 
carried with the half Tide, meets with fome Obftacle, 
and 
