Chap. I, and his wintering in Charlton Ifland! 
the Herb or Leaf of thofe Vetches as they firft appeared . 
out of the Ground, and then we waihed and boiled them, 
and fo with Oil and Vinegar that had been frozen we eat 
them. It was an excellent Suftenance and refrefhing-, 
the mold part of us eat nothing elfe. V/e likewife 
bruifed them, and took the Juice of them and mixed 
it with our Drink : We alfo eat them raw with our 
Bread. 
The nth was very warm Weather, and we hung our 
Rudder. The Tides now very much deceived us, for a 
Northerly Wind would very little raife the Water. This 
made us doubt of getting off our Ship. The 13th! re- 
folved to know the Latitude of this Place j fo having ex- 
amined the Inftruments and pradifed about it this Fort- 
night, I found it to be 52 Degrees 3 Minutes. The 14th 
v/e had heaved out all theBallaft, and carried all ourYards 
and every thing elfe on Shore, fo that we now had the 
Ship as light as poffible it could be. 
The 15th v/e did little but exercife ourfelves. By this 
Time our Men that were moil feeble grew ftrong and 
run about, the Flefh of their Gums being fettled again, 
and their Teeth faftened fo that they eat Beef with their 
Vetches. This Day I went to our Watch-Tree, but the 
Sea, for any thing I could perceive, was Hill firm 
frozen, and the Bay full of Ice, having no Way to vent 
it. 
The 1 6th was wondrous hot, with fome Thunder and 
Lightning, fo that our Men went into the Ponds alhore 
to fwim and cool themfelves, yet the Water was very, 
cool ftill. Here had lately appeared divers forts of Flies, 
as Butter-flies, Butcliers-flics, Florfe-flies, and fuch an 
infinite Number of blood-thirfty Mufketoes, that we 
were more tormented with them than ever we were with 
the hot Weather. Thofe I think lie dead in the old 
rotten Wood all the Winter, and in Summer they revive 
again. Here are likewife infinite numbers of Ants and 
Frogs in the Ponds upon the Land, but we durfl; noteat 
of them : They looked fpeckled like Toads. By this 
Time there were neither Bears, Foxes, nor Fowl to be 
feen. 
30. The 17th the Wind came Northerly, and we, ex- 
pecting a high Tide, in the Morning betimes put out 
our fmall Cable aftern out at the Gun-Room Port, but 
the Morning-Tide we had not Water by a Foot. In the 
Evening I had laid Marks by Stones, <Sc. and thought 
that the Water flowed apace: Making Signs therefore 
for the Boat to come alhore, I took ail that were able 
to do any thing with me aboard ; and at Iiigh W ater, 
although fhe wanted fomething to rife clear out of the 
Dock, yet we heaved with fuch Good-will, that we 
heaved her through the Sand into a Foot and an half 
deeper Water, ' and-ftirther we durft not bring her j for 
the Ice was all thick about us. After we had moved her 
we all went to Prayers, and gave God Thanks that he 
■had given us our Ship again. The i8th we were up 
betimes, the Cooper and fome with him to bring frelh 
Water, myfelf with others to gather Stones at low Wa- 
ter, which we piling up at low Water, the Cockfwain 
and his Gang fetched them aboard, where the Maker 
with the reft ftow^ed them . to the Offing, by which 
means we could the better come and flop the ‘two upper 
Holes firmly : After which we fitted other convenient 
Places to make others to fink her, if Occafion were. 
The 19th we were all up betimes to work as afore 
fpecified. Thefe two Days our Ship did not float, and 
it was ,a very happy Hour which v/e got her off, for we 
never had fuch a high Pfide all the lime we were here. 
In the Evening we went up to our Watch-Tree ; and 
this was the firft Time I could fee open Water any way 
except that little by the Shore-fide where we were. This 
put us in fome Comfort that the Sea would fhortly break 
up, which we knew miiftbefo to the Northward, feeing 
that Way we were certain there were about two hundred 
Leagues of Sea. The 20th we laboured as formerly, the 
Wind at North-north-weft. The Tide rofe fo high that 
our Ship floated, and we drew her off into a Foot and 
half deeper Water. Thus we did it by little and little, 
for the Ice was ftill wonderfully thick round about us. 
The 2 2d there drove much Ice about us and within us, 
and brought home our Stern-Anchor at high Water. 
'Vox. IL Numx. 98. 
Notwithftanding all the Ice we heaved our Ship ftirthef 
off, that fo fhe might lye afloat at low Water. The 
next low W ater we founded all about the Ship, and found 
it very found Ground. We difeovered Stones thred 
Feet high above the Ground, and two of them within a 
Ship’s- breadth of the Ship, whereby did more manifeft- 
iy appear God’s Mercy to us ; for if when we found her 
on Shore fhe had ftruck one Blow againft thofe Stones, 
it had bulged her. Many fuch Dangers were there in 
this Bay, which we now firft perceived. In the Evening 
we towed off the Ship into the Place where fhe rode the 
laft Year, and there moored her, fleering the Ship Night 
and Day, Flood and Ebb, among the difperfed lee that 
came athwart us. 
The 23d we laboured in fetching the Provifions on 
board, which to do we were forced to wade to carry it to 
the Boat a full Bow-fhot, and all by reafon the Wind 
was Southerly. This Morning I took an Obfervation of 
the Moon’s coming to the South, by a Meridian Line of 
a hundred and twenty Yards long, which I had redified 
many Weeks beforehand. 
The 24th I took another Obfervation of the Moon’s 
coming to the Meridian. I had formerly cut down a 
very high Tree and made a Crofs of it ; To it I now 
faftened uppermoft the King and Queen’s Pidures drawn 
to the Life, and doubly wrapped in Lead, and fo clofe 
that no Weather could hurt them. Betwixt both thefe 
I affixed his Majefty’s Royal Title, vix. Charles the firft. 
King of England^ Scotland^ France and Ireland:, as alfo of 
Newfoundland^ and of thefe Territories, and to the Weft- 
ward as tar as Nova Albion^ and to the Northv/ard to the 
Latitude of 80 Degrees,. iAc. On the Outfide of the 
Lead I faftened a Shilling and a Sixpence of his Majefty’s 
Coin ; under that we faftened the King’s Arms fairly cut 
in Lead, and under that the Arms of the City of Briflol : 
And this being Midfummer-day, we railed it on the Top 
of the Bar-hill, where we had buried our dead Fellows, 
by this Ceremony taking Pofleflion of thefe Territories 
for his Majefty’s Ufe. The Wind continuing Southerly, 
and blowing hard, put all the Ice upon us, fb that the 
Ship now rode among it in fuch apparent Danger, that I 
thought verily we ftiould have loft her. 
We laboured Flood and Ebb with Poles and Oars to 
heave away and part the Ice, but it was God that pro- 
teefted and preferved us ; for it was paft any Man’s Un- 
derftanding how the Ship could endure it, or We by' our 
Labour fave her^ In the Night the "Wind Ihifted to the 
Weft ward, and blew the Ice from us, which gave us 
fome Reft. 
31. The 25th in the Morning the Boatfwaih with a 
Convenient Crew began to rig the Ship, the reft fetching 
our Provifion on board. About ten o’Clock when it was 
fomething dark, I took a Launce in my Hand, and one 
with me with a Mufleet, and went to our Watch-Tree 
to make a Fire on the moft eminent Place of the Ifland, 
to fee if it would be anfwered. Such Fires I have former- 
ly made to have Knowledge if there were any Savages on 
the Main or the Hands about us. Had there been any, 
my Purpofe was to have gone to them to get Intelli- 
gence of Chriftians, or fome Ocean Seas thereabouts. 
When I was come to the Tree I laid down my Launce, 
and fo did my Confort his Mulket, whilft I climbed up 
to the Top of the Tree. I ordered him to put Fire to 
fome low Tree thereabouts. He unadvifedly put Fire to 
fome Trees that were to Windward, fo that they and all 
the reft too, by reafon it had been very hot Weather, 
being dry, took Fire like Flax and Hemp ; and the 
Wind blowing towards me, I made hafte down the Tree ^ 
but before I was half-way dov/n the Fire took on the 
Bottom of it, and blazed fo fiercely upward that I was 
forced to leap off the Tree and down a fteep Flill, and 
in fhort with much ado efcaped Burning. The Mofs on 
the Ground was as dry as Flax, and it run moft ftrange- 
ly, like a Train along the Earth. The Mulket and 
Launce \yere both burnt. My Confort at laft came to 
me, and was joyful to fee me, for he thought verily I 
had been burnt : And thus we went homeward together, 
leaving the Fire encreafing and burning moft furioufly. 
I flept but little all Night after, and at Break of Day 
ordered aft our Powder and Beef to be carried aboard 
