4^^ . ' Captcnn James’^ Voyage into Hudfon^s Bay, Book IL 
our Fuelers again ; They muft firft, as the former, go broke up and drove, there were little Hones of it. The 
up and down in the Snow till they faw a Tree ftanding, i^th we continued minding our Work aboard the Ship, 
tor the Snow covered thofe that were down-fallen ^ then and returned in the Evening to Supper afliore. This Day 
they muft hack it down with their Pieces of Hatchets, the Mafter and two others defired they might lie aboard 
and then others muft carry it home through the Snow, which I agreed to; for, indeed, they had Iain very dii'- 
The Boys with Cutlaffes muft cut Boughs for the Car- commodioufly all the Vf inter, and with fick BedTeHows, 
penter ; for every Piece of Timber that he worked, muft as I myfelf had done, every one in that kind takino- their 
firft be thawed in the Fire, and he muft have a Fire by Fortunes. By lying aboard, they avoided the liearincr 
him or he could not work. And this was our continual the miferable Groanings and Eamentations of the lick 
Labour throughout the forerilentioned Cold, befides our Men, all Night long, enduring, poor Souls, miferable 
tending upon the Sick, and other neceiTary Employments. Torments. By the 24th we had laboured fo hard, that 
26. April 1632. The firft of this Month being Rafter- we came to the Sight of a Calk, and could likewife per- 
we folemnized it as rehgioufty as God gave us Grace to ceive that there was fome Water in the Hold. This we 
do. Both this Day, and the two following Holidays were knew could not be thawed Water, becaufe it froze very 
extreme cold ; and now fitting all about the Fire, we hard Night and Day aboard the Ship, and on the Land 
reafoned and confidercd together about our Eftate ; we alfo. By the 23d in the Evening we came to pierce the 
had five Men, whereof the Carpenter was one, not able fore-mentioned Calk, and found it full of very good 
to do any thing ; the Boatfwain and many more were Beer, which much rejoiced us all, efpecially the fick Men, 
very infirm and of all the reft we had but five that notwithftanding it tailed a little of the bulged Water. By 
could eat of their ordinary Allowance. The Time and this we thought that the Holes we had cut to fink the 
Seafon of the Year came on apace, and the Cold very Ship were frozen, and that this Water had flood in the 
little abated. Our Pinnace was in an indifferent for- Ship all the Winter. 
warJnefs, but the Carpenter grew worfe and worfe. The The 24th we went betimes in the Morning to work. 
Ship, as we then thought, lay all full of folid' Ice ; which but we found that the Water was rifen above the Ice 
was Weight fufficient to open the Seams of any new and where we had left work, above two Foot, for the Wind 
found Veffel, efpecially one that had lain fo long upon the had blown very hard at North the Night before. In the 
Ground as ftie had done. Inftiort, after many Difputes Morning the Wind came about South, and blew hard, 
and laying open of our miferable and helplefs Eftates, and, although we had little Reafon for it, we yet ex- 
I refolved upon this Courfe, that notwithftanding it was pedled a lower Veer of Water. I thereupon put them to 
more Labour, and the Men weaker and weaker, yet with work on the outfide of the Ship, that we might come to 
the firft warm Weather we would begin to clear the Ship, the lower Hole, which we had cut in the Stern-Shoots 
that we might have the Time before us to think of fome with much Labour, by Night, wt digged down through 
other Courfe : This being ordered, we looked to thofe the Ice to it, and found it unfrozen, as it had been all the 
Tools we had to dig the Ice out of her ; we had but Winter; and, to our great Comforts, we found that on 
two Iron Bars on Shore, the reft were funk in the Ship, the infide the Water was ebbed within the Hole, and that 
and one of them was broken too. on the outfide it was ebbed a Foot lower. Whereupon I 
We fell to fitting of thofe Bars and four broken Sho- caufed a Shot-board to be nailed upon it, and to be made 
vels that we had, with which we intended, and afterwards as tight as might be, to try if the Water came in any 
we did, to dig the Ice out of her, and to lay the Ice on a other Way ; to the other two Holes we had digged on 
Heap upon the larboard Bow, and fo fink it down to the the infide, and found them frozen. Now I did this be- 
Ground, fo faft that it fhould be a Barricado to us when times, that if we found the Ship foundered, we might 
the Ice brake up, which we feared would tear us to refolve on fome Courfe to fave or prolong our Lives, by 
Pieces. The 6th was the deepeft Snow we had had all getting to the Main before the Ice was broken up ; as for 
this Year, which filled up all our Paths and Ways by our Boat it was too little, and bulged befides that, 
which we were ufed to go to the Woods ; this Snow Our Carpenter was by this Time paft Hopes, and there- 
was fomething moifter and greater than any we had had fore little Hope had we of our Pinnace. But which was 
this Year, for formerly it was as dry as Dull and as fmall worft of all, we had not four Men able to travel through 
Sand, and would drive like Dull with the\Vind : The the Snow over the Ice, and in this miferable State were 
Weather continued with this Extremity till the 15th, we at this prefent. The 25th we fatisfied our longing, 
at which Time the Spring was harder frozen than it had for the Wind now coming about Northerly, the Water 
been all the Year before. I had often obferved the rofe by the Ship’s-fide, where we had digged down a 
Difference betwixt clear Weather and mifty refrafling Foot and , more above the Flold, and yet did not rife 
Weather, in this manner, from a little Hill which was within Board. This fo encouraged us, that we fell lufti^ 
near adjoining our Houfe ; in the clear Weather when ly to digging, and to heave the Ice out of the Ship. I 
the Sun fhone with all the Purity of Air, that I could put the Cook, and fome others, to thaw the Pumps, who, 
not fee a little Ifland which bore off us South-fouth-eaft by continual pouring of hot Water into them, by the 
four Leagues, but if the Weather was mifty as aforefaid, 27th in the Morning had cleared one of them, which 
then we could often lee it from the loweft Place. we proving, found it delivered Water very fufficiently. 
This little Ifland 1 had feen the laft Year when I was Thus we fell to pumping, and having cleared two Feet 
on Danby lft,and. The 13 th I took the Height of it by Water, we left the other to a fecond Trial, continuing 
an Inftrument ftanding near the Sea-fide, which Ifland our Work thus in digging the Ice. By the 28th we had 
I take to be 34 Minutes, the Sun being 28 Degrees high ; cleared our other Pump, which we alfo found to deliver 
this fhewshow great a Refraction here is ; yet this may be Water very well. We found likewife that the Water 
noted by the Way, that I have feen the Land elevated did not rife any thing in the Hold, 
by Reafon of the reflefled Air, and neverthelefs the Sun The 29th it rained all Day long, a fure Sign to us that 
hath rifen perfedl round. The i6th was the moft com- Winter was broken up. The 30th we were betimes 
fortable funfliiny Day that came this Year, and I put aboard at Work, which Day, and the 31ft, were very 
fome to clear off the Snow in the under Decks of the cold v/ith Snow and Hail, which pinched our fick Men 
Ship, and to clean and dry the great Cabin, by making more than any Time this Year. This Evening being 
Fire in it, others I put to dig down through the Ice to fffhjEve, v/e returned late from our Work to our Houfe, 
come by our Anchor that was in Shole -water ; which and made a good Fire, and chofe Ladies, and ceremo- 
the 17th in the Afternoon we got up and carried aboard, nioufly wore their Names in our Caps, endeavouring to 
The i8th^ put them to dig through the Ice near the revive ourfelves by any Means. 
Place where we thought our Rudder might be; they 27. At our coming from we v/ere ftored with 
digged down and came to Water, but no Hopes of all forts of Sea-provifions ; as Beef, Pork, Cfc. butnov/, 
finding it. as we had little Hopes of recruiting, our Cook ordered 
We had miany Doubts that it might be landed, or that it in this Manner: The Beef which was to ferve on Sun- 
the Ice might have carried it away already the laft Year, Night ' to Supper, he boiled on Saturday in a 
Or if we could not recover it by digging before the Ice Eettle full of Water, with a Quart of Oatmeal, about 
an 
