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 11 of Nouember it was indifferent wether, the wind north-west. The
same day we made a round thing [831] of cable yearn and [knitted] like
to a net, [and set it] to catch foxes withall, that we might get them
into the house, and it was made like a trap, which fell vpon the foxes
as they came vnder it; [832] and that day we caught one.
The 12 of Nouember the wind blew east, with a little [833] light. That
day we began to share our wine, euery man had two glasses [834] a day,
but commonly our drink was water which we molt [835] out of snow which
we gathered without the house.
The 13 of Nouember it was foule wether, with great snow, the wind east.
The 14 of Nouember it was faire cleare wether, with a cleare sky full
of starres and an east-wind.
The 15 of November it was darke wether, the wind north-east, with a
vading light. [836]
The 16 of Nouember it was [still] wether, with a temperate aire [837]
and an east-wind.
The 17 of Nouember it was darke wether and a close aire, [838] the wind
east.
The 18 of Nouember it was foule wether, the wind south-east. Then the
maister cut vp a packe of course [woollen] clothes, [839] and divided
it amongst the men that needed it, therewith to defend vs better from
the cold.
The 19 of Nouember it was foule wether, with an east wind; and then the
chest with linnin was opened and deuided amongst the men for shift,
[840] for they had need of them, for then our onely care was to find
all the means we could to defend our body from the cold.
The 20 of Nouember it was faire stil weather, the wind easterly. Then
we washt our sheets, [841] but it was so cold that when we had washt
and wroong [842] them, they presently froze so stiffe [out of the warm
water], that, although we lay’d them by a great fire, the side that lay
next the fire thawed, but the other side was hard frozen; so that we
should sooner haue torne them in sunder [843] than haue opened them,
whereby we were forced to put them into the seething [844] water again
to thaw them, it was so exceeding cold.
The 21 of Nouember it was indifferent [845] wether with a north-east
wind. Then wee agreed that euery man should take his turne to cleaue
wood, thereby to ease our cooke, that had more than work inough to doe
twice a day to dresse meat and to melt snowe for our drinke; but our
master and the pilot [846] were exempted from yt work.
The 22 of Nouember the wind was south-est, [and] it was faire wether,
then we had but [847] seuenteene cheeses, [848] whereof one we ate
amonst vs and the rest were deuided to euery man one for his portion,
which they might eate when he list.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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