Chap. IL Northern Coafts 
provifions the Surveyor General of the Mines was to fur- 
niili us with the Wind fetting fair we embarked, and 
a few Hours after fet fail to continue our Voyage to 
the North. The Wind held fair feveraj Days, till we 
■were under the Ardlic Polar Circle, where we were be- 
calmed on the Coaft ; foine of our Crew were fo fuper- 
ftitious, as to give Credit to uhe common Tradition, that 
the Inhabitants of the Country, under that Circle, as well 
as thofe that dwell on the Coafts of Finland^ are Wind 
Merchants, and can raife and fell a Gale when they, 
pleafe: Certain it is they are almoft all of them Wizards, 
and, as Children of the Prince of the Air, pretend to dif- 
pofe of the Winds as their proper Merchandize. We were 
impatient of lying on that Coaft, and that Impatience put 
us upon trying any Means, however improbable to fuc- 
ceed, rather than ftay there any longer. The Captain 
cf our Ship was for trading with the Wizards ; ac- 
cordingly he fent his Long-boat alhore with his Mate, to 
traffic with thefe Traders, and purchafe a Wind of 
them, the Commodity we ftood moft in need on at that 
Time. Though I believed nothing of the Matter, I had 
the Curiofity to accompany him. We landed at the firft 
Village we came to, applied ourfclves to the chief Necro- 
mancer, told him what we wanted, and allced if he could 
furnifti us with a Wind , that would laft till we arrived 
at Mourmanjkincre. The Mate could fpeak enough of 
his Language to underftand him, and to be underftood. 
The Conjurer gravely replied, No *, his Power extended no 
farther than the Promontory of Rouxella. We had a great 
Way thither, and if we reached fo far, we thought we 
might eafily make the North Cape ; fo the Mate defired 
him to go aboard with us, and drive a Bargain with our 
Captain. The Wizard confented to the Propofal, took 
three of his Comerades with him, leapt into a fmall 
Fiflier-Boat, and went aboard our Ship. 
Our Captain and he foon agreed upon the Price •, he was 
to give him ten Kronen, about five or fix and thirty 
Shillings in Englijh Money, and a Pound of Tobacco ; for 
which the Wizard \yas to furniffi a fair Wind as far 
as Rouxella. When the Bargain was made, and the 
Money paid, the Wizard tied a Woollen Rag to the 
Corner of our Foremalt ; *twas about half a Yard long 
and a Nail broad ; it had three Knots ; and this was 
all our Captain had for his ten Kronen. When the Ne- 
cromancer had done this Feat, he returned in his Boat 
to the Village with his Companions. The Captain of our 
Ship, according to the Inftru6lions he had received from 
the Conjurer, untied the firft Knot in the Rag, and im- 
mediately the Wind ftruck up Weft-fouth-weft a brilk 
Gale, and drove us, and the other Ship in our Compa- 
ny, thirty Leagues beyond Maelftroom., without giving 
our Captain any Occafion to untie the fecond Knot ; and 
this Accident confirmed our Crew in their diabolical Su- 
perftition. This Maelfiroom is the greateft Eddy or 
Whirlpool in the Norwegian Sea ; in which many Vef- 
fels that approached too near it have periffied. For 
this Reafon, fuch as are acquainted with thofe Coafts, 
keep out to Sea eight or ten Leagues to avoid it, and 
the Rocks that lie off OJlraford, oppofite to Maelfiroom. 
There are feverai fuch Eddies, five, fix, and feven 
Leagues from the Shore ; and this Danger obliges all Pi- 
lots to keep far out to Sea. 
The Wind beginning to ffiifc a little, and inclining 
to the North, our Captain untied the fecond Knot, which 
kept it in its old Corner, till we made the Promontory 
ot Rouxella. When we had paffed it, the Needle of our 
Compafs turned back half an Inch, by which fome fan- 
cied that there was Loadftone in the Mountain j and had 
not we had a very dextrous Pilot, we fhould certainly 
have loft our Courfe. Knowing that the other Ships in 
our Company were in the fame Trouble as ourfelves, 
our Pilot ffiut up his Compafs, and hung out a Flag 
on his horemaft Top, as a Signal for the other Ships 
to follow us 5 he was very well acquainted with the 
Coafts and Courfe, having often piloted the Dutch Ships 
trading that Way ; in which he had no other Helps than 
his Sea Charts. We were two Days and two Nights in 
this dangerous Condition, having nothing to depend on 
but the Pilot’s Experience. On the third Day, being far 
VoL. II. NvMB. 100. 
of Europe. ^ 6i 
diftant from the Mountains of Rouxella., the Needle of 
our Compafs pointed again to its Objc<ft *, from v/hence-we 
concluded that we drew near the North Cape j where the 
Wind failing us, our Captain untied the third.Knot, at 
which there arofe a North-north-eaft Wind, fo furious, 
that we thought the Heavens wmuld fall down upon us i 
and that God would juftly puniili us with Deftruefeion, for 
dealing with infernal Artifts, and not trufting to his Pro- 
vidence ; we could bear no fail during the Tenipeft •, our 
Ship drove at the Mercy of the Winds and Waves, 
which toft us fo. violently, that, we expeded every Mi- 
nute to go to the Bottom, 
The Reader will, doubtlefs, wonder at thefe ftrange 
and extraordinary Paffages, in regard to the Witchcraft 
of thefe Northern People ; and therefore it is neceffary to 
inform him, that their Witchcraft, like moft other forts 
of Witchcraft, is downright Fraud and Impoftiire. 
They have in thefe Countries many deep Caverns, and 
fubterraneous Grottoes j by their Obfervations in which, 
they are able to judge of the Variation of Winds for fe- 
verai Days to come ■, and they take care to ftart fo many 
Difficulties in making their Bargains, that they arc fure 
never to come to a Conclufion till the Signs appear, by 
which they are morally certain that thofe Winds will blow 
which they pretend to fell. In the prefent Cafe it is evi- 
dent, that the pretended Conjurer made a very prudent 
Obfervation before he made his Bargain with the Captain 5 
which was, that his Power extended only to a certain 
Cape ; but the Truth of the Matter was, that he very 
well knew, by Experience, 'that Cape was the Limit of 
his Obfervations, and that he ffiould rifque his Credit if 
he prefumed to exceed his Bounds. The People in Ice- 
land are the moft famous of any for carrying on this 
Trade of felling of W^inds j and they fell them 'W’ith 
lefs Limitation, becaufe living in an Ifland, they are 
more able to judge of the Variation of Winds in all the 
Seas round about them ; and therefore it is from the Ac- 
counts given by fenfible People who have lived in that 
Ifland, and who have taken Pains to enquire into this 
Matter, _ that we are able to give fo good an Account of 
it. This Sort of Knowledge is kept in the Hands of a 
few People, who thereby awe their Neighbours, and 
cheat Foreigners. All this may be very naturally ex- 
peded in a barbarous Country, where Learning and Re- 
ligion are at a very low Ebb ; and I believe it will be 
generally found, that in Proportion as People are little 
acquainted with the Word and Works of God, they are 
moft apt to pretend to converfe with the Devil ; and 
this feems to be confirmed by the declining of fuch No- 
tions, _ wherever the Lights of Reafon and the Gofpel 
prevail. 
4. Though we were not above ten or twelve Leagues 
from ^ the Coaft of the Ba?iijh Lapland., yet we did*^noc 
imagine the Storm would throw us upon it ; we feared 
the Winds fo much, we did not think of Land j and 
when we thought ourfelves fecure from the Rocks, wc 
were almoft driven upon one, by a fudden Blaft thirty 
Leagues above the Cape, and four from Shore \ every 
Man fell upon his Knees, and begged Pardon of God, 
believing we lliould, at that very Inftant, be daffied to 
pieces ; I confefs I never was fo afraid in my Life, and 
I believe all the Crew was in as great Confternation as 
myfelf; when by good Luck, or rather through divine 
Mercy, the extraordinary Force and Agitation of the 
Waves prevented our ftriking, and drove us a Mufket 
Shot from the Rock. Our Ship having received no 
Damage, only by a little flight Touch on the. Skirt , of 
the Rock, fprung a Leak a little above the Keel, and 
two or three Planks were fomewhat bulged in the Bottom 
of the Ship’s Hold ; the Water entered, and we were ob- 
liged to pump inceffiintly. On the fourth Day the Wind’ 
fell ; however we could not heartily rejoice for our Safe- 
ty, having loft Sight of our Friends in the other Veffels, 
who, we feared, were at the Bottom by this Time. Not- 
withftanding we continued our Courfe with a favourable 
Gale 5 we had feverai Feet Water in our Hold, and had 
much ado to live. The Wind was pretty fair, where- 
fore we refolved to make the firft Port, to flop our 
LeaKs and refit.. ' 
^ S Bus 
