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 30 of December it was foule wether againe, with a storme out of the
west and great store of snow, so that all the labour and paine that we
had taken the day before, to make steps to go out of our house and to
clense our springes, [914] was al in vaine; for it was al couered over
wt snow againe higher then it was before.
The 31 of December it was still foule wether with a storme out of the
north-west, whereby we were so fast shut vp into the house as if we had
beene prisoners, and it was so extreame cold that the fire almost cast
no heate; for as we put our feete to the fire, we burnt our hose [915]
before we could feele the heate, so that we had [constantly] work
inough to do to patch our hose. And, which is more, if we had not
sooner smelt then felt them, we should haue burnt them [quite away] ere
we had knowne it.
[Anno 1597]
After that, with great cold, danger, and disease, [916] we had brought
the [917] yeare vnto an end, we entered into ye yeare of our Lord God
1597, ye beginning whereof was in ye same maner as ye end of anno 1596
had been; for the wether continued as cold, foule, [boisterous], and
snowy as it was before, so that vpon the first of January we were
inclosed in the house, ye wind then being west. At the same time we
agreed [918] to share our wine euery man a small measure full, and that
but once in two daies. And as we were in great care and feare that it
would [still] be long before we should get out from thence, and we
[sometimes] hauing but smal hope therein, some of vs spared to drink
wine as long as wee could, that if we should stay long there we might
drinke it at our neede.
The 2 of January it blew hard, with a west wind and a great storme,
with both snow and frost, so that in four or five daies we durst not
put our heads out of ye doores; and as then by reason of the great cold
we had almost burnt all our wood [that was in the house],
notwithstanding we durst not goe out to fetch more wood, because it
froze so hard and there was no being without the doore; but seeking
about we found some [superfluous] pieces of wood that lay ouer the
doore, which we [broke off and] cloue, and withall cloue the blocks
[919] whereon we vsed to beate our stock-fish, [920] and so holp our
selues so well as we could.
The 3 of January it was all one weather [constantly boisterous, with
snow and a north-west wind, and so exceedingly cold that we were forced
to remain close shut up in the house], and we had little wood to burne.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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