JS T O R T IT POLE. 109 
teen fathom above it; this ice-berg is ftated to have fud-- 
denly been rent in pieces, “ for with one great cracke it 
burft into foure hundred pieces at the leaft.” Betides this 
rnafs, the fea was covered with flake-ice, and various 
other ice-bergs, but none quite fo large. It was in vain 
they ftruggled to get to the eaftward ; the wind blew 
ftrong from that quarter, bringing with it immenfe patches 
of ice. Finding all their attempts ineffectual, they were 
at length reluftantly compelled to return ; the ffiip, in¬ 
deed, was generally befet in the ice, and, while drifting 
with it, the rudder was broken in pieces, the boat cruffl¬ 
ed flat between the ice, and they expefted every moment 
that a fimilar fate would befall the fliip. It was now evi¬ 
dent that every hope was cut oft", not only from the pof- 
fibility of proceeding farther to the eaftward, but alfo of 
reaching Waigatz by the eaftern coaft of Nova Zembla ; 
they therefore attempted to get back by the way they 
had come. On the s6th, with great exertion, they had 
fo far fucceeded as to reach the weftern fide of Ice-haven, 
but it had nearly been to them a fatal fuccefs ; for, in 
this difmal fpot, “ we were forced,” fays De Veer, “in 
great cold, povertie, miferie, and griefe, to ftay all that 
winter.” 
The prevailing north-eafterly winds brought into the 
bay fuch prodigious quantities of ice, that the fliip, had 
ftie even fuftained no previous damage, could by no pofli- 
bility have been moved out of the bay that feafon: but, 
lifted up as file was between heaps of ice, bruifed and 
bilged, with her rudder torn oft', very little hope remain¬ 
ed that flie would ever again begot afloat. The unhappy 
crew, therefore, determined at once to abandon the fliip, 
and to prepare for paffing the winter in this cold and 
dreary fpot; and, luckily for them, they found, at no 
great diftance, a fufficient quantity of drift-wood, not 
only to build them a capacious houfe, but alio to.ferve 
them for fuel. The party, thus doomed to the melan¬ 
choly fate which awaited them, amounted to feventeen 
perfons, of whom one, who could leaft be fpared, the 
carpenter, died the firft week, and another was taken ill. 
They contrived, however, to build their houfe ; but De 
Veer fays, it was fo dreadfully cold, “ that, as wee put 
a naile into our mouthes, (as carpenters ufe to do,) 
there w’ould ice hang thereon when wee tooke it out 
againe, and make the bloud follow.” Thejournal of the 
proceedings of thefe poor people during “ their cold, 
comfortlefle, darke, and dreadful, winter,” is intenfely 
and painfully interefting. No murmuring efcapes them 
in their moll hopelefs and airlifted fituation ; but fuch a 
ipirit of true piety, and a tone of fuch mild and fubdued 
refignation to Divine Providence, breathe through the 
whole narrative, that it isimpoffible to peruie the Ample 
tale of their fuft’erings and contemplate their forlorn fitua¬ 
tion, withoutthedeepeft emotionfortheunhappy fateof fo 
many wretched beings, cut oft’ from all human aid, and 
almoft from all hope of their ever being able to leave their 
dark and difmal abode. 
On the 4th of November the laft feeble rays of the fun 
took leave of them, and from that time the cold was ob¬ 
served progreffively to increafe, till it became fo intenfe 
as to be nearly beyond endurance. The wine and beer 
they had faved out of the fliip were prefently frozen, and 
loft all their ftrength ; excepting a fmall portion of each 
that ftill remained liquid, but which was not drinkable. 
By means of large fires of wood, by placing heated 
ftoues to their feet, and ufing double clothing and fox- 
ficin caps on their heads, they were juft able to keep -them- 
felves from being frozen ; but it was a dreadful talk to go 
out in fearch of drift-wood, and to haul it on a fled for 
a confiderable diftance over ice and fnow, and fometimes 
in fuch dark and piercing weather as to take the Ikin off 
their hands and faces. They once had recourfe to the 
coals on-board the veftel, but the fire made with thefe 
had nearly fulfocated the whole party. Their clock loon 
became frozen; and it was then neceffary for fome of 
Vol. XVII. No. 1169, 
them, by turns, conftantly to watch the hour-glafs, that 
they might not miftake the time. 
Being frequently attacked Ty bears, which aflaulted 
their wooden hut, and oppofed them whenever they ftir- 
red abroad, they found means to kill feveral of thefe fe¬ 
rocious animals, and ufe their fat for their lamps; from 
a Single bear they extrafted about a hundred pounds of 
greale. Finding the liver of this animal palatable food, 
they ate heartily of it, but it made them all tick; and 
three of the party were fo ill, in conlequence thereof, 
that the Ikin came off their bodies from head to foot. It 
deferves to be remarked, that when the lun difappeared 
the bears immediately took leave of them, and their place 
w'as as fpeedily fuppiied by white foxes, which came in 
great abundance, and ferved them both as food and 
clothing, their flelh tailing like that of rabbits. By 
fetting traps on the roof of their houfe, they caught abun¬ 
dance of thefe ufeful animals ; but immediately after the 
re-appearance of the fun, the foxes took their departure, 
and the bears again renewed their vifits. 
When the 19th of December arrived, thefe unhappy 
men began to receive confolation at the thought that half 
the total abfeuce of the fun had now been got over. 
Miferable as their fituation was, and to all appearance 
perfeftly hopelefs, they could even jell and make thein- 
lelves merry. “ On Chriftmas-day,” fays the writer, “it 
was foule wether, with a north-weft wind ; and yet, 
though it was foule wether, we heard the foxes run over 
our houfe, wherewith fome of our men laid it was an 
ill figne ; and, while we fate difputing why it (bould be 
an ill figne, fome of our men made anfwere that it was 
an ill figne becaufe we could not take them to put them 
into the pot to roll them, for that had beene a very good 
figne to us.” After labouring hard all the day of the 5th 
of January in digging away the fnow that had for feveral 
days blocked up their door, and cleaned out their hut, 
“ we remembered ourfelves,” fays the narrator, “ that it 
was Twelfth-even, and then we prayed our maifter that 
we might be merry that night, and laid that we were 
content to fpend fome of the wine that night which we 
had fpared, and which was our fliare every fecond day, 
and whereof for certaine daies we had not drunke ; and 
fo that night we made merry, and drunke to the three 
kings ; and therewith we had the pound of meale, where¬ 
of we made pancakes with oyle ; and every man a white 
bilket, which we fopt in wine : and lb, fuppofing that we 
were in our owne country and amongft our friends, it 
comforted us as well as if we had made a great banket irt 
our owne houfe ; and we alfo made tickets, and our gun¬ 
ner was King of Nova Zembla, which is at leaft two hun¬ 
dred miles long, and lyeth betweene two feas.” 
The raptures felt by thefe unhappy men at the firft 
bluih of the fun may eafily be conceived. This joyful 
event was firft announced to them about the 16th of Ja¬ 
nuary, when they perceived “a certaine redneffe in the 
Ikie,” though William Barentz convinced them that the 
fun himfelf would not make his appearance above the ho¬ 
rizon for 1 hres weeks yet to come. However, on the 24th 
of January, “it was fairecleare weather,” fays Gerrit de 
Veer, “ with a weft wind ; then I and Jacob Hemlkerk, 
and another with 11s, went to the fea-fide, on the fouth 
fide of Nova Zemble, where, contrary to our expectation, 
I firft faw the edge of the lunne, wherewith' we went 
fpeedily home againe, to teil William Barentz and 
the reft of our companions that joyful newes. But 
William Barentz, being a wife and well-experienced pilot, 
would not believe it, efteeming it to be about fourteen 
daies too foone for the funne to fliine in that part of the 
world 5 but we earneftly affirmed the contrary,' and faid 
that we had feen the funne.” On the two following days 
they had thick and foggy weather, but on the 27th it was 
clear; “and then,” lays the journalift, “ we faw the funne 
in his full roundnelle above the horizon, which made us 
all glad, and we gave God hearty thankes for his grace 
X x . (hewed 
