4^8 Captain James^^ Voyage into Hudibn^s Bay^ Book IL 
and the Shore, that we were forced to bear up againft it 
into deeper Water, and to let the Ship drive among it *, 
the Wind increafmg we endured a moft dangerous dark 
Night of it. 
In the Morning we fell to work to get the Ship again 
cut of the Ice into feme dear Water, which we faw 
Vvkil by South of us. Some of our Company went out 
upon the Ice to heave her with their Shoulders, whilft 
others ftood aboard with their Poles the reft ftood to 
fill and fpill the Sail. By nine in the Morning we had 
got into fome clear W^ater, and ftood Weft and by South 
into four Fathom Water, foul Ground ; but being not 
able to weather fome Rands of Ice which drove, we 
were forced to ftand off again, and w'hen the Evening 
grew dark to come to an Anchor. About Midnight 
there came a great Piece of Ice (which we could not 
avoid) athwart of our Cable, and made her drive and 
drag her Anchor : This drove her into ftio'le Water, it 
being very rocky and foul Ground : We brought the 
Cable to Capftang, and heaved with fuch a Courage that 
we heaved home our Anchor from under it. llius we 
endeavoured the beft we could to keep ourfelves in eight 
or ten Fathom Water. It then pleafed God tliat the 
Wind blew along the Shore, otherwife it had gone far 
v/orfe with us. 
35. Auguft 1632. The I ft of this Month, at break of 
Day, when we could fee all about us, we were forced to 
ffruggle again ' with the Ice, and to get in nearer to tlie 
Shore, by reafon the Wind was oppofite, to come to an 
Anchor ; we let the Ice drive to leeward, hoping there 
was a clearing Sea to the weftward : The Ice drove very 
thick upon us, and one Piece came foul of us, which 
touched our Sprit-fail Yard, and made the Ship drive ; 
but we foon cleared ourfelves of it. Then we weighed, 
and ftood in nearer to the Shore ; but the Water fnoaled, 
and there were fo many thick Rands cf Ice betwixt us 
and the Shore that there was no coming to an Anchor, fo 
we turned betwixt the Ice, many Pieces of it being a- 
grounddn fhole Water, and fe\v Pieces diftant one from 
■ the other a Cable’s Length : This Day we law two Sea 
Mawes on the Ice. The 2d in the Morning v/e were 
glad at break of Day, having moft dangeromly turned 
among the Ice, and endured many a Blow •, we ftood in 
again to the ftioreward, to fee if we could get fome clear 
Water •, for to the northward it was all impaflable Ice : 
We ftood into five and four Fathom, but ftill all im- 
paffable with Ice, fo we ftood off again into deeper 
Water \ and in the Evening we were inclofed with ex- 
traordinary great Pieces ; it was a very thick Fog 
withal, fo thaft we made faft the Ship to a great fiat 
Piece 'and went to fteep, after our extreme Pains- 
taking. 
The 3d, 4th, and 5th we were inclofed among very 
great Ice, and it blew fuch a Storm of Wind that we, 
endeavouring to get forward to the weftward, ftruck 
fuch heavy Blows that made all the fore-part of the Ship 
crack again j then we gave over working, and let her 
alone among it, but then the Ice would break and rife 
under us, and that endangered us as bad as the former. 
Our Ship made now above a Ton of Water every Watch, 
which we pumped out before our other Labour. God 
e merciflil unto us among ail thefe Dangers. 
The 5th at Noon we were in Latitude 55 Degrees, 
the Cape bearing off us South-eaft by Eaft, twelve 
Leagues off, and this all we have got fince the 2 2d 
of July •, all Night it blew a violent Gale of Wind at 
Wefl-north-weft, and about Midnight our Hawfer (by 
which we made faft to a Piece of Ice) broke, and we 
Joft four Fathom of it. We beat all Night moft fear- 
fully, being toffed from Piece to Piece, becaufe in the 
Dark we durft not venture our Men to go on the Ice, 
for fear of lofing them. All the 6th the Storm conti- 
nued, and drove us again quite with the Ice almoft to 
the Cape. The 7th was the moft comfortable Day we 
had fmee we came out of our Wintering-place. The 
Wind came up fair at Eaft, and we got, although with 
Qur former Inconveniences and Dangers, nearer the Shore, 
g,nd into fome open Water, making good way to the 
Weftward. Add to this that our Le^ now ftopped of 
its own Accord, fo that we pumped but little. We 
failed all Night, keeping good Watch on the Fore- 
caftle, bearing up from one and loofing from another. 
Thus we did the 8th alfo •, but then the Wind fhifting 
to the North- weft, it drove the Ice on the Shore, and we 
came to an Anchor in eight Fathom W^ater. The main 
Ice we had fome two Miles to windward of us ; but the 
Set of the Tide kept it off from us. A^t Noon we were 
in Latitude 55 Degrees 34 Minutes, In the Evening a 
Range of Ice drove upon us, which made us weigh, and 
ftand in nearer the Shore into fix Fathom, and there come 
to an Anchor. The V/ind increafmg about Midnight, 
the Ship drove, and was quickly in five Fathom Water, 
wherefore we let fall our Sheet Anchor, and both 
held her •, but what troubled us was, we expedted every 
Minute that the main Ice v/ould come upon us, then, 
there would be no Hope but to run on Shore. 
The 9th in the Morning we weighed our fecond An- 
chor, the Ice being wnthin lofs than a Mile of us. About 
eight in the Morning a Point of it came foul of us, which 
we prevented by weighing, and came to Anchor in three 
Fathoms and a bfalf Water. The Wind continued 
North- north- weft, which was in on the Shore. This 
Morning I caufed all our empty Calks to be filled with 
Water, and the Ship to be left unpumped, and the Place, 
looked to that we had prepared to fink her, for we were 
atprefent in as apparent Danger as anytime this Voyage, 
and to our great Grief it w^as all full of foul rocky 
Ground. The Danger of this was, if we made faft to a 
Piece of Ice that drew deep Water, then as foon as it 
came to Ground on the Rocks it would break alf to 
Pieces and betray us to cur Deftrudlion. About Noon 
there came foul of us the Point of a Range of Ice, 
which we refolved to endure the Extremity of with an 
Anchor, thinking to ride and break through it, we now 
perceiving fome open Water beyond it; thrufting there- 
fore, and fending wdth our Poles, at laft a great Piece 
of Ice came athwart our Flawfer, and there was a brilk 
Sea among it : The Ship now fell upon it fo violently 
that I expecled every Blow ftie would beat out her Bows ; 
at length Ihe drove with it fo that I thought the Cable 
had been broke •, we brought it to Capftang to heave 
it in, but found that our Sheet Anchor v/as broke in the 
Middle of the Shank. We prefently fet cur Sails there- 
upon, endeavouring that Way to edge in amongft the Ice 
off of this dangerous Shore. It pleafed God to favour 
our Labour fo, that by eight in the Evening we got off 
into feven Fathoms Water, and a dark lSio;ht coming on 
we made faft to the biggeft Piece we could find. It 
blew all Night, but at Midniglit the Wind came up at 
North, which was more on the Shore than before. 
By break of Day, on the 10th, we were driven into 
four Fathom very foul Ground, fo that the Lead fell off 
the Rocks three or four Foot, we fet our Sails and ufed 
our utmoft Endeavours to edge off. Some of us went 
upon the Ice to haul her, others ftood with Poles to 
thruft by Night. At Night we got off to eight Fathoms, 
and made faft to the biggeft Piece we could find. If 
any Man fhould afle. Why we kept fo near the Shore in 
this continual Danger ? I anfwer, becaufe in the Offing, 
the Ice was fo extraordinary thick, that we could make no 
Way through it ; befides, when we were in that great 
thick Ice, and the Wind came up fair at South, or 
South-eaft, or Eaft, we could not get out of it ; there- 
fore we chofe to run this Adventure, and fo prevent and 
overcome all Dangers with God’s Afllftance, and our 
extreme Labour. 
36., The nth in the Morning v/as a thick Fog, yet 
there fprung up a Gale of Wind at Eaft, and we made 
in for the Shore. From the i ith to the 14th the Wind 
continued fair, and we made all the Sail v/e could Night and 
Day as the Ice would fuffer us •, we had the Shore in fight 
by Day on one Side, and the Ice within two Miles on the 
other ; and we failed among difperfed Pieces loofing from 
one, and bearing up for another. The 14th at Noon we 
were in Latitude yy Degrees 55 Minutes. In the Even- 
ing we were embayed in Ice, and ftood South-eaft to 
clear ourfelves of it, but could not ; but feeing from 
the Topmaft-head clear Water over it, we put up to it. 
