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had made these traps, and set them apart one from another in the snow, we caught fifty foxes in them. Then took we a bear's skin, and laying the fleshy side upward, we made springs of whalebone; therewith we caught about sixty of those fowls, about the bigness of a pigeon.

'Thus continued we until the 1st of May; and the weather then growing warm, we were now pretty able to go abroad to seek for more provisions. Every day, therefore, abroad we went; but nothing could we encounter withal, until the 24th of May, when, espying a buck, we thought to have killed him with our dog, but he was grown so fat and lazy, that he could not pull down the deer. Seek ing further out, therefore, we found abundance of willocks' eggs, which is a fowl about the bigness of a duck, of which eggs, though there were great store, yet we being but two of us together, brought about thirty of them to the tent that day, thinking the next day to fetch a thousand more of them; but the day proved so cold, with so much easterly wind, that we could not stir out of our tent.

'Staying at home, therefore, upon the 25th of May, we for that day omitted our ordinary custom. Our order of late, since the fair weather, was every day, or every second day, to go up to the top of a mountain, to spy if we could discern the water in the sea, which until the day

At

before we had not seen. which time, a storm of wind coming out of the sea, brake the main ice within the Sound; after which, the wind coming easterly, carried all the ice into the sea, and cleared the Sound a great way, although not near the shore at first, seeing the clear water came not near our tent by three miles at least.

'This 25th of May, therefore, we all day staying in the tent, there came two ships of Hull into the Sound; who knowing that there had been men left there the year before, the master, full of desire to know whether we were alive or dead, manned out a shallop from the ship, with orders to row as far up the Sound as they could; and then to haul up their shallop, and travel overland upon the snow unto our tent. These men, at their coming ashore, found the shallop which we had hauled from our tent into the water with a purpose to go and seek some sea-horses the next fair weather, the shallop being then already fitted with all necessaries for that enterprise. This sight brought them into a quandary; and though this encounter made them hope, yet their admiration made them doubt that it was not possible for us still to remain alive. Taking, therefore, our lances out of the boat, toward the tent they came, we never so much as perceiving them; for we were all gathered together, now about to go to prayers in the inner tent, only

Thomas Ayres was not yet come in to us out of the greater tent. The Hull men now coming near our tent, hailed us with the usual word of the sea, crying, "Hey!" he answered again with "Ho!" which sudden answer almost amazed them all, causing them to stand still, half afraid at the matter. But we within, hearing of them, joyfully came out of the tent, all black as we were with smoke, and with our clothes all tattered with wearing. This uncouth sight made them further amazed at us; but perceiving us to be the very men left there all the year, with joyful hearts embracing, and we them again, they came with us into our tent. Coming thus unto us, we showed them the courtesy of the house, and gave them such victuals as we had, which was venison roasted four months before, and a cup of cold water, which, for novelty's sake, they kindly accepted of us.

in England. We were told that they would be there next day, but it was full three days ere they came, which seemed to us as tedious a three days as any we had yet endured, so much we desired to hear from our friends, wives, and children.

'The 28th of May, the London fleet came into the port, to our great comfort. Aboard the Admiral we went, unto the right noble captain, Captain William Goodler, who is worthy to be honoured by all seamen for his courtesy and bounty. This is the gentleman that is every year chief commander of this fleet; and right worthy he is to be, being a very wise man and an expert mariner, as most be in England, none dispraised. Unto this gentleman right welcome we were, and joyfully by him received, he giving order that we should have anything that was in the ship that might do us good, and increase our strength. He gave us apparel of his own charges, also, to the value of twenty pounds worth.

Then we fell to ask them what news, and of the state of land at home, and when the London fleet would come, to 'Thus after fourteen days of all which they returned us the refreshment we grew perfectly best answers they could. Agree- well, all of us. Whereupon the ing then to leave the tent with noble captain sent William them, we went to their shallop, Fakely, John Wise (Mason's and so aboard the ship, where own apprentice), and Thomas we were welcomed after the Ayres, the whale-cutter, with heartiest and kindest English | Robert Goodfellow, unto Masmanner; and there we stayed ter Mason's ship, according as ourselves until the coming of themselves desired. But thinkthe London fleet, which we ing there to be as kindly welmuch longed for, hoping by comed as the lost prodigal, them to hear from our friends these poor men, after their en

during so much misery, which now to stay there till the 20th through his means partly they of August, hoping then to return had undergone, no sooner came unto our native country. Which aboard his ship, but he most day of departure being come, unkindly called them runaways, we embarked with joyful hearts, with other harsh and unchristian and set sail through the foamterms, far enough from the ing ocean; and though crossed civility of an honest man. Noble sometimes with contrary winds Captain Goodler understanding homeward bound, yet our proall these passages, was right per ships came at last safely sorry for them, resolving to to an anchor in the river send for them again, but that Thames, to our great joy and the weather proved so bad and comfort, and the merchants' uncertain. I, for mine own benefit. And thus, by the part, remained with the captain blessing of God, came we, all still at Bottle Cove, according eight of us well, home safe and to mine own desire. As for the sound, where the Worshipful rest of us that stayed with him, Company, our masters the Mushe preferred the landsmen, to covy Merchants, have since row in the shallops for the dealt wonderfully well by us. killing of the whales, freeing For all which most merciful them thereby from their toil-preservation, and most wondersome labour ashore, bettering fully powerful deliverance, all their means besides. And all these favours did this worthy gentleman for us.

'Thus were we well contented

honour, and praise, and glory be unto the great God, the sole Author of it, He granting us to make a right use of it. Amen.'

THE

CHAPTER III.

THEY

THE ADVENTURES OF SEVEN POOR SAILORS, WHO WINTERED ON
ISLAND OF MAURICE IN GREENLAND, WHERE
DIED IN THE YEAR 1634.

THE Greenland Company in Holland, having determined to push their discoveries as far as possible in that part of the world from whence they derived their name, particularly with respect to the variation of the weather, and other curious matters that might tend to the improvement of astronomy and

the advancement of trade; seven resolute sailors freely offered to winter there, and keep an exact journal of their observations.

Accordingly, these men were left on the island of St. Maurice in Greenland, on the 26th of August 1633, the ship bearing away for Holland with the wind at north-east, and a hol

low sea, which continued all night.

On the 27th there was no darkness during the whole night. On the 28th it snowed very hard. This day they shared half a pound of tobacco to each man, which was to be a week's allowance. They walked out in the evening to make observations, but saw nothing remarkable. The 29th was a clear sunshiny day; and from a high hill, which they often climbed when the weather would permit, they discovered the Bear mountain very plainly.

The night of the 30th was cloudy, but that of the 31st was clear and starlight, and the wind blew fresh from the northeast. The weather was pretty good, with some flying showers of snow and rain, from the 1st to the 7th of September; but on the 8th, the wind changing to the south-east, it rained very heavily. However, it cleared up in the afternoon, and in the beginning of the night, which was bright and starlight, they were alarmed with a very dreadful noise, as if something of prodigious weight had fallen near them on the ground, for which, as no visible consequences ensued, they were utterly at a loss to account.

On the 9th, the sun shone so very warm, that they stripped to their shirts to be cool; however, it rained in the evening, and they had changes of this sort frequently till the 17th, some of which time they

employed in gathering herbs and salad, and saw many seagulls. The wind then changed to the south-west, and the sea was white with foam; but the night was very calm. On the 18th it rained hard, and each man had a certain measure of brandy delivered, which was to last him eleven days. On the 23d, the wind being at east, and the weather very heavy, they saw a whale playing near the shore, and hoisting out their boat, they pursued it; but the sky darkening very fast, and a thick fog with driving rain coming on at the same time, it had an opportunity of making its escape. On the 26th the weather proved cold and frosty, with the wind at east; and after this day they found no more salad, the cold rains which occasionally continued, with high winds from various quarters, having rotted it in the ground.

On the 2d of October they discovered a fine spring of fresh water on the south side of the island, and it froze so hard on some ponds as to be able to bear the weight of a man. The two following days were cold and frosty; but on the 5th it rained so hard, with the wind at south, that they could not stir out of their tents. On the morning of the 6th the frost returned; and in the night of the 8th there was so violent a storm, that they feared it would carry away their tents; which, together with the noise caused

by a rough, hollow sea, kept them all night from sleeping. The wind veered from north to north-east, and was so fierce, that they apprehended no ship could have been able to outride the violence of the storm. The severity of the cold now forced them to make fires and to keep close to them; and they were obliged to hang their clothes to dry under cover near the fire, for if left without doors, they froze as hard as a board in a minute. Their health likewise was by this time considerably impaired, and they were greatly troubled with vertigoes.

On the 12th they had high winds, hard frost, and heavy snow, and a barrel of bears' flesh froze within two yards of the fire. On the 15th they sallied out to two whales that were thrown ashore, armed with lances, hangers, harpoons, and other offensive weapons; but the tide suddenly rising, the whales were carried off with it, after having received several wounds. On the 19th they saw some ice to the north of the shore; and though the sun rose, it did not appear above the hill under the shelter of which they pitched their tents. On

the next day they saw a bear, but could not catch him, though they strove hard to overtake him. The ice now seemed to increase at sea, the wind continued at east, and the night was very cold. On the 25th, a bear coming almost close to their tents, they immediately

pursued him, but he got away from them. It now continued to snow daily, with small intermissions of sun and fair weather; but the cold gradually increased, and on the 31st was so severe as to split several vessels that held their liquids. There was now no appearance of water, the bay and sea being covered with ice as far as the eye could possibly reach.

On the 2d of November, six or seven bears came down towards their tents in a body, one of which they killed; but the rest, seeing their companion fall, fled, and saved themselves upon the ice, where it was dangerous dangerous to follow them. These animals began now to assemble in such numbers about the tents after it was dark, that the sailors did not think it safe to stir out. They were now obliged to keep good fires in their buttery cellar, to preserve their beer and other liquors from being spoiled by the frost. On the 3d, the weather being somewhat moderate, they went abroad, and shot a bear on the ice, and then drew the body home with a strong rope. On the 5th, the snows were so heavy and the weather so tempestuous, that they could not stir abroad. As there was no water to be come at, the sea-gulls were by this time all gone, and our adventurers were obliged to use melted snow instead of water. By the 19th, the days were grown so short, that they had not light sufficient to read or

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