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 10 of July, from the time that the sunne was east north-east till
it was east, we tooke great paines and labour to get through the ice;
and at last we got through, and rowed forth [1337] vntill wee happened
to fall betweene two great flakes [1338] of ice, that closed one with
the other, so that we could not get through, but were forced to draw
the scutes vpon them, and to vnlade the goods, and then to draw them
ouer to the open water on the other side, and then we must go fetch the
goods also to the same place, being at least 110 paces long, which was
very hard for vs; but there was no remedy, for it was but a folly for
vs to thinke of any wearines. And when we were in the open water
againe, we rowed forward as well as we could, but we had not rowed long
before we fell betweene two great flakes of ice, that came driuing one
against the other, but by Gods help and our speedy rowing we got from
betweene them before they closed vp, and being through, we had a hard
west wind right in our teeth, so that of force we were constrained to
make towards the fast ice that lay by the shore, and at last with much
trouble we got vnto it. And being there, we thought to row along by the
fast ice vnto an island that we saw before vs; but by reason of the
hard contrary wind we could not goe farre, so that we were compelled to
draw the scutes and the goods vpon the ice, to see what weather [1339]
God would send vs; but our courages were cooled to see ourselues so
often inclosed in ye ice, being in great feare yt by meanes of the long
and continuall paines (which we were forced to take) we should loose
all our strength, and by that meanes should not long be able to
continue or hold out.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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