Chap. II. Northern Coafts of Eu r opE^ 4^ 
them to fliew us where they dwelt, but they would not 
give us the lealt Token to diredl us ; they were as 
ftubborn as thofe we had taken in the Canoe, and we were 
forced to carry them on board without making any further 
Difeoveries : When we brought them to their Fcllow- 
Prifoners, we perceived they knew one another, though 
their Garments were quite different : Thofe we took in 
the Canoe being drelfed in Sea-Calf Skin Cloaths ; and 
thefe in Skins. The Hair of the Sea-Calf Skin 
was put outwards ; the Waftecoats of thefe ZemUians were 
made of two Skins joined together, the Tails dangling, 
the one before and the other behind, almoft as low as their 
Knees *, their Drawers were very ftrait ; The oldeft was 
about fifty Years of Age •, he had a round Beard of a 
Chefnut Colour ; he had no Hair on his Head. The 
Woman that was with him, feemed to be about thirty 
Years old ; her Ears and Nofe were bored, as the other 
Woman’s were, and blue Stones hung in them •, her Hair 
was twifted, and dangled like the Country Woman’s: 
They were both extreme ugly, and the Man and Woman 
fhorter and fquatter, than either the Laplanders^ Samojeds', 
Borandians, ov Siberians : They had fqueaking Voices, and 
{linking Breaths, which latter was caufed by eating of 
Flefli without Salt, or Fifh dipped in Fifli-Oil. They 
drank nothing but Water. We could never make them 
eat any Bread, fait Meat, or Fifh, nor drink any Beer •, 
they talfed Brandy now-and-then, but hated the Smell of 
Tobacco : Their Needles, the Points of their Darts 
and Arrows, and all their other Inftruments were made of 
Fifh -bones : The Wood- work of their Bows and Darts 
was very heavy, of a red-brown Colour ; that of their 
Arrows is much lighter and whiter. When they go, they 
waddle along like a Duck, and are the moft defpicable 
Creatures I ever faw of the Race of Men. 
29. The Summer Seafon being very far advanced, for 
it was now the latter End of Auguft\ and the Days grow- 
ing fhorter, we having half an Hour’s more Night than 
we had *, the Cold alfo increafing, and all our Companions 
longing to fee their own Country again, we weighed An- 
chor, the Wind at North north-eaft, and held ourCourfc 
South- weft. We failed before the Wind feveral Hours, 
and then veered to the South-fouth-eaft, which obliged 
us to make our Way northward, to endeavour to reach 
fome Shore. We coafted along with a South-fouth-eaft 
Gale till we came to Greenland^ where the Wind fhifted 
again to Weft-fouth- weft, and forced us to drop Anchor near 
a Fleet of French and Dutch Ships that were come thither a 
fifhing', the Whale-fifhery being the Trade of that Place. 
The Ships did not lie far off Shore, for the Whale, as 
well as the Sea-horfe, is caught near Land; they are 
taken after the fame manner as we took the Sea-horfes, 
and when they are caught they are cut to Pieces, and the 
Greafe taken out of them ; which is put into an huge 
Kettle, and melted to Oil •, near fome Huts which the 
Fifhermen built for their Conveniency along the Sea Shore. 
It was very well for our ZemUians, that we came where 
there was fome Whale-oil to be had : They had loft their 
Stomachs, and could eat nothing for want of it ; they 
could get nothing down unlefs it was foaked in that Oil ; 
and all our Store was out. 
I faw a Whale dreffed that had no lefs than three hundred 
and fifty Pound-weight of Bone in her fit for Bodice- 
makers, befides the Oil that came out of her Greafe. 
We ftaid but two Days in Greenland. The Wind fpring- 
ing up North-eafterly we weighed Anchor, and proceeded 
on our Voyage homewards. XVe had a fair Gale all that 
Day and the following Night till five o’Clock the next 
Morning, when we faw three Suns in the Heavens one 
above the other •, thefe Meteors were fo like the Sun in 
Brightnefs that we could not diftinguifh the one from the 
other •, we alfo perceived foul Weather gathering from 
the fouthward, and foon after we were overtaken by a 
violent Storm, which obliged us to furl moft of our Sails, 
and fire a Gun, for a Signal to our Company of the Dan- 
ger we were in, thereby warning them to do as we had 
done. We gave ourfelves over for loft, and entirely fub- 
mitfed to the Will of Heaven ; three Hours after it blew 
terribly South-fouth-eaft •, it tliundered with louder Claps 
than ever I heard it before. 
VoL. II. Numb, CIIL 
The Sea was fo rough, and our Ship to tofied that Wi 
could only carry our Mizen-fail i the Yard lowered almoft 
to the Ship’s Deck two Sailors were forced to tug at the 
Oar with Ropes, we having much to do tO manage the 
Ship. We failed thus all that Day^ and the next Night 
the Wind continuing as ftiff as at firftj our Captain com- 
manded one of the Men to get upon the Main-top, to fee 
if he could fpy Land, and difeover whereabouts wtwere t 
The Sailor looking round him, cried out he faw a great 
Fire ; our Mafter faid it was Mount H^ecla in Iceland, a 
Mountain that burns like ZFtna and Vefuvius. The Wea- 
ther being ftillfoul, we refolved to make Land as faft as 
we could, though we had nothing to do there •, we were 
afraid to keep out to Sea, our Ships having fuffered much 
by the Storm. We arrived near the Shore about Nighr* 
and as we lay by, heard dreadful Noifes at Land % they 
were like the Fire of feveral Gannons, after which we 
faw Flames iffue out of Mount Hcscla in abundance. We 
found fo many Rocks on the Coaft of this Ifie, and the 
Sea was fo rough, that we did not care to venture nearer 
the Land than a League *, but our Pilot affuring us he 
underftood the Coafts well, we made into Cape Heri, where 
by the Skill and Care of the Pilot we anchored in Safety <* 
One of our Company broke her Beakhead againft a 
Rock, and had like to have fplit ; the other received no 
more Damage than we did. We immediately went a- 
fhorej our Mafter, Supercargo, my fclf, and fifteen of ouf 
Crew, the Mafter and Merchants of the other Ships ae-4 
companying us. 
We landed at a Village called and hence we went 
to Kirkebar, a little City or large Town of Iceland, where 
we met eight or nine Damjh Merchants •, who were fur- 
prized to fee us there. They entertained us very cordially, 
and told us, that the Day before the whole Ifland ftiook fo 
violently that they thought they ihould be all fwallowed upd 
They gave us good Wine, good Bread, and good freih 
Meat. There is Plenty of all Sorts of Cattle in this 
Ifland, which abounds in rich Paftures ; and the Beads 
that feed on them delight fo much in Caitophe Herb, that 
the Inhabitants are forced to ftintthem to fuch aMeafure, 
or they would eat till they burft 5 which they would cer- 
tainly do if they were fuffirred to eat their Fill, as in other 
Countries. 
30. Our Captain, Supercargo, and the others of our 
Company, gave the chief Merchant at Kirkebar an Inti- 
mation, that they would fain fee what was to be feen in 
the Ifland that was rare. The Merchant prefently order- 
ed Horfes to be got ready for all of us that were wil- 
ling to go far into the Country : I faid I would make 
one, and we mounted eight in all ; the reft, not having fo 
much Curiofity as we, chofe rather to ftay and drink at 
this Merchant’s. The Merchant fent one of his Servants 
and two Iflanders along with us, to be our Guides, and 
furnifhed us with a Horfe-load of Provifions. We tra-i 
veiled two Days together in Bye-ways very difficult to 
pafs,' rugged, and unfrequented : At laft we came near 
Mount Hcscla \ five Miles oif it we found the Ground 
ftrewed with Afhes and Pummice-ftones \ over which we 
paired, by the Foot of the Mountain. The Weather was 
very ferene and calm, and we faw neither Fire nor 
Flames come out of the Mountain : Upon this we refolved 
to go up to the Top ; but our Guides informed us thatj if 
we went farther, we fhould be apt to fall into Pits of 
fiery Fumes, and it was impoffible to pull us outi Thus 
all our Company except myfelf declared againft proceed- 
ing. I told them if they would ftay for me^ I would go 
up myfelf: They promifed they would ; fo I alighted, and 
prepared to afeend the Mountain. One of the Danijh 
Merchants whom we met ar Kirkebar, and who accom- 
panied us out of Curiofity, faid he would go along 
with me. 
We gave our Horfes to Our Guides, who ftaid behind 
with the others who came out with us : We footed it over 
Afhes and Pummice-ftones, and fometimes we were up to 
the Calves of our Legs in Afhes, and yet we ftill went 
forward, as we refolved to reach the Top oF Hcscla. We 
had not gone far before we efpied a Flight of Crows and 
Vultures, that had their Nefts in the Top of the Moun- 
tain : We afeended half a League, and then felt the 
6 I Ground 
