252 
THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. 
[CUAP. 
been seen for tlie last time at Barents’ Ice Haven on the ^Ith 
October, and it ought to have appeared again there on the ^th 
February. It has been supposed that the deviation arose from 
some considerable error in counting the days, but this was 
unanimously denied by the crew who wintered.^ The bears 
disappeared and reappeared with the sun. Instead, foxes came 
during winter to the building, and were caught for food in 
numbers, many on the roof of the house. In order to pass 
the time and keep up their courage, the Dutch sometimes had 
entertainments, at which the cheerfulness of the partakers had 
to make up for the meagreness of the fare. After the return 
of the sun the bears again came very close, so that there was 
a number of hunting adventures with them, all of which came 
off successfully. Several bears made themselves at home in 
the vessel abandoned by the crew, casting everything about, 
and broke up the hatch of the kitchen, covered as it was with 
deep snow. An attempt to eat bear’s liver resulted in those 
that ate of it becoming very ill, and after recovery renewing 
tlieir skin over the whole body. Once during severe cold, 
when pitcoal was used to warm the building, all the men in 
it were like to have died of the fumes. On one or two occa¬ 
sions, for instance on the |th February, so much snow had 
collected outside the door, that it was necessary to go out by the 
chimney. For the preservation of their health the Dutch often 
took a vapour bath in a barrel fitted up for the purpose. 
On the the first small birds were seen, and on the |th 
1 See on this point De Veer, leaf 25 and an unpaged leaf between pages 
30 and 31 in Blavii Atlas Major^ tom. i. That a mistake occurred in the 
date is not possible, because the latitude was determined by solar observa¬ 
tions on the 29th (19th) February, the 21st (11th) and 31st (21st) March 
(see De Veer, 1. 27). Besides, at the correct date, the 3rd February (24th 
January), a conjunction of Jupiter and the moon was observed, whereby 
the difference of longitude between Ice Haven and Venice was determined 
to be 75°. However erroneous this determination may be, it shows, 
however, that the date was correct. 
