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
The 27 of August the ice draue round about the ship, and yet it was
good wether; at which time we went on land, and being there it began to
blow south-east with a reasonable gale, and then the ice came with
great force before the bough, [705] and draue the ship vp foure foote
high before, and behind it seemed as if the keele lay on the ground, so
that it seemed that the ship would be ouerthrowne in the place;
whereupon they that were in the ship put out the boate, [706] therewith
to saue their liues, and withall put out a flagge to make a signe to vs
to come on board: which we perceiuing, and beholding the ship to be
lifted vp in that sort, made all the haste we could to get on board,
thinking that the ship was burst in peeces, but comming vnto it we
found it to be in better case than we thought it had beene.
The 28 of August wee gat some of the ice from it, [707] and the ship
began to sit vpright againe; but before it was fully vpright, as
William Barents and the other pilot went forward to the bough, [708] to
see how the ship lay and how much it was risen, and while they were
busie vpon their knees and elbowes to measure how much it was, the ship
burst out of the ice with such a noyse and so great a crack, that they
thought verily that they were all cast away, knowing not how to saue
themselues.
The 29 of August, the ship lying vpright againe, we vsed all the meanes
we could, with yron hookes [709] and other instruments, to breake the
flakes of ice that lay one heap’d vpō the other, but al in vaine; so
that we determined to commit our selues to the mercie of God, and to
attend ayde from him, for that the ice draue not away in any such sort
that it could helpe vs.
The 30 of August the ice began to driue together one vpon the other
with greater force than before, and bare against the ship wh a
boystrous south [by] west wind and a great snowe, so that all the whole
ship was borne vp and inclosed, [710] whereby all that was both about
and in it began to crack, so that it seemed to burst in a 100 peeces,
which was most fearfull both to see and heare, and made all ye haire of
our heads to rise vpright with feare; and after yt, the ship (by the
ice on both sides that joined and got vnder the same) was driued so
vpright, in such sort as if it had bin lifted vp with a wrench or vice.
[711]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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