The Three Voyages of William Barents to the Arctic Regions (1594, 1595, and 1596)Veer, Gerrit de
History
The Three Voyages of William Barents to the Arctic Regions (1594, 1595, and 1596)
Veer, Gerrit de
Barentsz, Willem, approximately 1550-1597; Northeast Passage
We perceiuing out of our ship and pinace that our men ran to the
sea-side to save themselues, with all speed entered into our boates,
and rowed as fast as we could to the shoare to relieue our men. Where
being on land, we beheld the cruell spectacle of our two dead men, that
had beene so cruelly killed and torne in pieces by the beare. Wee
seeing that, incouraged our men to goe backe againe with vs, and with
peeces, curtleaxes, [513] and halfe pikes, to set vpon the beare; but
they would not all agree thereunto, some of them saying, Our men are
already dead, and we shall get the beare well enough, though wee oppose
not our selues into so open danger; if wee might saue our fellowes
liues, then we would make haste; but now wee neede not make such
speede, but take her at an aduantage, with most securitie for our
selues, for we haue to doe with a cruell, fierce and rauenous beast.
Whereupon three of our men went forward, the beare still deuouring her
prey, not once fearing the number of our men, and yet they were thirtie
at the least: the three that went forward in that sort, were Cornelius
Jacobson, [514] maister of William Barents shippe, William Gysen,
pilote of the pinace, and Hans van Nufflen, William Barents purser:
[515] and after that the sayd maister and pilote had shot three times
and mist, the purser stepping somewhat further forward, and seeing the
beare to be within the length of a shot, presently leauelled his peece,
and discharging it at the beare, shot her into the head betweene both
the eyes, and yet shee held the man still faste by the necke, and
lifted vp her head, with the man in her mouth, but shee beganne
somewhat to stagger; wherewith the purser and a Scotishman [516] drew
out their courtlaxes, and stroke at her so hard that their courtlaxes
burst, [517] and yet she would not leaue the man. At last William
Geysen went to them, and with all his might stroke the beare vpon the
snowt with his peece, at which time the beare fell to the ground,
making a great noyse, and William Geyson leaping vpon her cut her
throat. The seuenth of September wee buryed the dead bodyes of our men
in the States Island, and hauing fleaed the beare, carryed her skinne
to Amsterdam.
The ninth of September, wee set saile from the States Island, [518] but
the ice came in so thicke and with such force, that wee could not get
through; so that at euening wee came backe againe to the States Island,
the winde being westerly. There the admirale and the pinace of Roterdam
fell on ground by certaine rockes, but gote off againe without any
hurt.
The tenth of September wee sayled againe from the States Island towards
the Wey-gates, and sent two boates into the sea to certifie vs what
store of ice was abroad; and that euening we came all together into
Wey-gates, and anckored by the Twist Point. [519]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account