Part 18

After that we held diuers courses because of the ice, and sayled south-east and by east and south south-east for the space of 18 [72] miles, till the 18 of August, when the sunne was east, and then wee cast out the lead againe, and found 30 fadome soft [434] ground, and within two houres after that 25 fadome, red sand, with small shels; [435] three glasses [436] after that we had ground at 20 fadome, red sand with blacke shels, [437] as before; then we saw 2 islands, which they of Enckhuysen gaue the names of Prince Maurice and his brother, [438] which lay from us south-east 3 [12] miles, being low land, and then we sailed 8 [32] miles, till the sunne was south. [¾ p. 10 A.M.]

Then we sailed east, and oftentimes casting out the lead we found 20, 19, 18, and 17 fadome deepe, good grounde mixed with blacke shels, [439] and saw the Wey-gates (the sunne being west) [¾ p. 3 P.M.], which lay east north-east from vs about 5 [20] miles; and after that we sailed about 8 [32] miles.

Then we sailed vnder 70 degrees, [440] vntill we came to the Wey-gates, most part through broken ice; and when we got to Wey-gates, we cast out our lead, and for a long time found 13 and 14 fadome, soft [441] ground mixed with blacke shels; [442] not long after that wee cast out the lead and found 10 fadome deepe, the wind being north, and we forced to hold stifly aloofe, [443] in regard of the great quantity of ice, till about midnight; then we were forced to wind north-ward, because of certaine rocks that lay on the south side of Wey-gates, right before vs about a mile and a halfe [6 miles], hauing ten fadome deepe: then wee changed our course, and sailed west north-west for the space of 4 glasses, [444] after that we wound about againe east and east and by south, and so entred into Wey-gates, and as wee went in, we cast out the lead, and found 7 fadome deepe, little more or lesse, till the 19 of August; and then the sunne being south-east [½ p. 7 A.M.] we entered into the Wey-gates, in the road, the wind being north.

The right chanell betweene the Image Point [445] and the Samuters land [446] was full of ice, so that it was not well [447] to be past through, and so we went into the road, which we called the Trayen Bay, [448] because we found store of trayen-oyle there: this is a good bay for the course of the ice, [449] and good almost for all windes, and we may saile so farre into it as we will at 4, 5, and 3 fadome, good anchor-ground: on the east side it is deepe [450] water.

The 20 of August, the height of the sunne being taken with the crosse-staffe, [451] wee found that it was eleuated aboue the horizon 69 degrees 21 minuts, [452] when it was south-west and by south, being at the highest, or before it began to descend.

The 21 of August we went on land within the Wey-gates [453] with foure and fiftie men, to see the scituation of the countrey, and being 2 [8] miles within the land, we found many vel-werck trayen, and such like wares, [454] and diuers footsteps of men and deere; whereby wee perceived that some men dwelt thereabouts, or else vsed to come thither.

And to assure vs the more thereof, wee might perceiue it by the great number of images, which we found there upon the Image or Beelthooke [455] (so called by us) in great aboundance, whereof ten dayes after we were better informed by the Samuters [456] and the Russians, when we spake with them.

And when wee entered further [457] into the land, wee vsed all the meanes we could, to see if we could find any houses, or men, by whom wee might bee informed of the scituation of the sea [458] there abouts; whereof afterwards wee had better intelligence by the Samuters, that tolde vs, that there are certaine men dwelling on the Wey-gates, [459] and vpon Noua Zembla; but wee could neither finde men, houses, nor any other things; so that to have better information, we went with some of our men further south-east into the land, towards the sea-side; [460] and as we went, we found a path-way made with mens feete in the mosse or marsh-ground, about halfe knee deepe, for that going so deepe wee felt hard ground vnder our feete, which at the deepest was no higher than our shoes; and as wee went forward to the sea coast, wee were exceeding glad, thinking that wee had seene a passage open, where wee might get through, because we saw so little ice there: and in the euening entering into our ship againe, wee shewed them that newes. Meanetime our maister [461] had sent out a boat to see if the Tartarian Sea [462] was open, but it could not get into the sea because of the ice, yet they rowed to the Crosse-point, [463] and there let the boate lye, and went ouer the land to the West Point, [464] and there perceiued that the ice in the Tartarian Sea lay full vpon the Russian coastes, and in the mouth of Wey-gates.

The twentie three of August wee found a lodgie [465] or boate of Pitzore, [466] which was sowed together with bast or ropes, [467] that had beene north-ward to seeke for some sea-horses teeth, trayen, [468] and geese, which they fetcht with their boat, to lade in certaine shippes that were to come out of Russia, through Wey-gates.

Which shippes they sayd (when they spake with vs), were to saile into the Tartarian Sea, by the riuer of Oby, [469] to a place called Vgolita [470] in Tartaria, there to stay all winter, as they vsed to doe euery yeere: and told vs that it would yet bee nine or tenne weekes ere it began to freeze in that place, and that when it once began to freeze, it would freeze so hard, that as then men might goe ouer the sea into Tartaria (along vpon the ice), which they called Mermare. [471]

The 24 of August in the morning betimes, we went on board of the lodgie, to haue further information and instruction of the sea on the east side of Wey-gates, and they gaue vs good instruction such as you haue heard.

The 25 of August we went againe to the lodgie, and in friendly maner spake with them, we for our parts offering them friendship; and then they gaue vs 8 fat geese, [472] that lay in the bottome of their boat: we desired that one or two of them would goe with vs on board our ship, and they willingly went with vs to the number of seuen; and being in our ship they wondered much at the greatnesse and furniture of our ship: and after they had seene and looked into it in euery place, [473] we set fish, [474] butter, and cheese before them to eat, but they refused it, saying that that day was a fasting day with them; but at last when they saw some of our pickled-herrings, they eat them, both heads, tayles, skin, and guts; [475] and hauing eaten thereof, we gaue them a small ferkin of herrings, for the which they gaue vs great thankes, knowing not what friendship they should doe vs to requite our courtesie, and we brought them with our pinnace into the Traen-Bay.

About noone wee hoysed vp our anchors with a west north-west wind; the course or stretching of Wey-gates is east to the Cruis point, [476] and then north-east to the Twist point, [477] and somewhat more easterly: From thence the land of Wey-gates reacheth north north-east, and north and by east, and then north, and somewhat westerly; we sayled north-east and east-ward [478] 2 [8] miles, by the Twist point, but then we were compelled to saile backe again, because of the great store of ice, and tooke our course to our road aforesaid; and sayling backe againe wee found a good place by the Crosse point to anchor in, that night.

The 26 of August in the morning we hoysed anchor, and put out our forke-saile, [479] and so sailed to our old road, there to stay for a more conuenient time.

The 28, 29, and 30 of August till the 31, the winde for the most part was south-west, and William Barents our captaine sayled to the south side of Wey-gates, and there went on land, [480] where wee found certaine wilde men (called Samuters), [481] and yet not altogether wilde, for they being 20 in number staid and spake with our men, being but 9 together, about a mile [4 miles] within the land, our men not thinking to find any men there (for that we had at other times beene on land in the *Wey-gates, and saw none); at last, it being mistie weather, they perceiued men, [482] fiue and fiue in a company, and we were hard by them before [483] we knew it. Then our interpreter went alone towards them to speake with them; which they perceiuing sent one towardes vs, who comming almost to our men, tooke an arrow out of his quiuer, offering to shoote at him; wherewith our interpretor, being without armes, was afraide, and cryed vnto him, saying (in Russian speach), shoote not, we are friends: which the other hearing, cast his bow and arrowes to the ground, therewith giuing him to vnderstand that he was well content to speake with our man: which done, our man called to him once againe, and sayd, we are friendes; whereunto he made answere and sayd, then you are welcome: and saluting one the other, bended both their heades downe towardes the ground, after the Russian manner. This done, [484] our interpreter questioned with him about the scituation and stretching of the sea east-ward through the straightes of Wey-gates; whereof he gaue vs good instruction, saying, that when they should haue past a poynt of land about 5 dayes sayling from thence (shewing [485] north-eastward), that after that, there is a great sea (shewing towardes the south-east vpward [486]); saying, that hee knew it very well, for that one had been there that was sent thither by their king with certaine souldiers, [487] whereof he had been captaine.

The maner of their apparell is like as we vse to paint wild men; but they are not [488] wilde, for they are of reasonable iudgement. They are apparelled in hartes [489] skins from the head to the feete, vnlesse it be the principallest of them, which are apparelled, whether they bee men or women, like vnto the rest, as aforesayd, vnlesse it bee on their heads, which they couer with certaine coloured cloth lyned with furre: the rest wear cappes of hartes or buckes skinnes, the rough side outwardes, which stand close to their heades, and are very fitte. They weare long hayre, which they plaite and fold and let it hang downe vpon their backes. They are (for the most part all) short and low of stature, with broad flat faces, small eyes, short legges, their knees standing outwards; and are very quicke to goe and leape. They trust not strangers: for although that wee shewed them all the courtesie and friendship that wee could, yet they trusted vs not much: which wee perceiued hereby, that as vpon the first of September we went againe on land to them, and that one of our men desired to see one of their bowes, they refused it, making a signe that they would not doe it. Hee that they called their king, had centinels standing abroad, to see what was done in the countrie, and what was bought and sould. At last, one of our men went neerer to one of the centinels, to speake with him, and offered him great friendship, according to their accustomed manner; withall giuing him a bisket, which he with great thankes tooke, and presently eate it, and while he eate it, hee still lookt diligently about him on all sides what was done.

Their sleades [490] stood alwayes ready with one or two hartes in them, that runne so swiftly with one or two men in them, that our horses were not able to follow them. One of our men shot a musket towards the sea, wherewith they were in so great feare that they ranne and leapt like mad men; yet at last they satisfied themselues when they perceiued that it was not maliciously done to hurt them: and we told them by our interpretor, that we vsed our peeces in stead of bowes, whereat they wondered, because of the great blow and noyse that it gaue and made: and to shew them what we could doe therewith, one of our men tooke a flatte stone about halfe a handfull broad, and set it vpon a hill a good way off from him: which they perceiuing, and thinking that wee meant some-what thereby, 50 or 60 of them gathered round about vs, and yet some-what farre off; wherewith hee that had the peece, shotte it off, and with the bullet smote the stone in sunder, whereat they woondred much more then before.

After that we tooke our leaues one of the other, with great friendship on both sides; and when we were in our penace, [491] we al put off our hattes and bowed our heades vnto them, sounding our trumpet: they in their maner saluting vs also, and then went to their sleads againe.

And after they were gone from vs and were some-what within the land, one of them came ryding to the shore, to fetch a rough-heawed image, that our men had taken off the shore and carried into their boate: and when he was in our boate, and perceiued the image, hee made vs a signe that wee had not done well to take away that image; which wee beholding, gaue it to him again: which when he had receiued, he placed it vpon a hill right by the sea side, and tooke it not with him, but sent a slead to fetch it from thence. And as farre as wee could perceiue, they esteemed that image to be their god; [492] for that right ouer against that place in the Wey-gates, which we called Beelthooke, [493] we found certaine hundreds of such carued images, all rough, about the heads being somewhat round, and in the middle hauing a litle hill instead of a nose, and about the nose two cuttes in place of eyes, and vnder the nose a cutte in place of a mouth. Before the images, wee found great store of ashes, and bones of hartes; whereby it is to be supposed that there they offered vnto them.

Hauing left the Samuters, the sunne being south-ward, [494] William Barents, our captaine, spake to the admirall to will him to set sayle, that they might goe forward; but they had not so many wordes together, as was betweene them the day before; [495] for that when the admirall and vize-admirall had spoken with him, [496] the admirall seeming to be well contented therewith, said vnto him: Captaine, [497] what think you were best for vs to doe? he made answere, I thinke we should doe well to set sayle, and goe forward on our uoyage, that wee may accomplish it. Whereunto the admirall answeared him, and sayd: Looke well what you doe, captaine: [498] at which time, the sunne was north-west [½ p. 7 P.M.].

The 2 of September, a litle before sunne rising, wee put foorth our anckor [499] to get out, for that the winde as then blew south south-west; it being good weather to get out, and ill weather to lie still: for we lay under a low bancke. [500] The admirall and vize-admirall seeing vs making out, began also to hoyse their anckors, and to set sayle.

When wee put out our focke-sayle, [501] the sunne was east and by south [½ p. 5 A.M.]; and then we sayled to the Crosse-poynt, and there wee cast anckor to stay for the vize-admirals pinnace; which with much labour and paines in time got out of the ice, by often casting out of their anckor, [502] and in the euening shee got to vs. In the morning, about 2 houres before sunne rising, we set sayle, and by sunne rising we got within a mile [4 miles] east-ward of the Twist-poynt, [503] and sayled north-ward 6 miles, till the sunne was south [¾ p. 10 A.M.]. Then wee were forced to wind about, because of the great quantitie of ice, and the mist that then fell; at which time the winde blew so vncertaine that we could hold no course, but were forced continually to winde and turne about, [504] by reason of the ice and the vnconstantnesse of the wind, together with the mist, so that our course was vncertaine, and we supposed that we had sailed south-ward vp towardes the Samuters countrey, and then held our course south-west, till the watchers [505] were north-west from vs; then we came to the point of the States Island, [506] lying east-ward about a musket shot from the land, having 13 fadome deepe.

The 4 of September, we hoysed anchor because of the ice, and sailed betwene the firme land and the States Island, where wee lay close by the States Island at 4 and 5 fadome deepe, and made our shippe fast with a cable cast on the shoare; and there we were safe from the course of the ice, [507] and diuers time went on land to get [508] hares, whereof there were many in that island.

The 6 of September, some of our men went on shore vpon the firme land to seeke for stones, which are a kinde of diamont, [509] whereof there are many also in the States Island: and while they were seeking ye stones, 2 of our mē lying together in one place, a great leane white beare came sodainly stealing out, and caught one of them fast by the necke, who not knowing what it was that tooke him by the necke, cried out and said, Who is that that pulles me so by the necke? Wherewith the other, that lay not farre from him, [510] lifted vp his head to see who it was, and perceiuing it to be a monsterous beare, cryed and sayd, Oh mate, it is a beare! and therewith presently rose vp and ran away.

The beare at the first faling vpon the man, bit his head in sunder, [511] and suckt out his blood, wherewith the rest of the men that were on land, being about 20 in number, ran presently thither, either to saue the man, or else to driue the beare from the dead body; and hauing charged their peeces and bent their pikes, [512] set vpon her, that still was deuouring the man, but perceiuing them to come towards her, fiercely and cruelly ran at them, and gat another of them out from the companie, which she tare in peeces, wherewith all the rest ran away.

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]

The 11 of September in the morning, we sailed againe into the Tartarian Sea, [520] but we fell into great store of ice, so that wee sailed back againe to the Wey-gates, and anckored by the Crosse Point, and about mid-night we saw a Russian lodgie, [521] that sailed from the Beeltpoint [522] towardes the Samuters land. The 13 of September, the sunne being south [¾ p. 10 A.M.], there beganne a great storme to blow out of the south south-west, [523] the weather being mistie, melancholly, [524] and snowie, [525] and the storme increasing more and more, we draue through. [526]

The 14 of September the weather beganne to bee somewhat clearer, the winde being north-west, and the storme blowing stiffe [527] out of the Tartarian Sea; but at euening it was [528] faire weather, and then the wind blewe north-east. The same day our men went on the other side of Wey-gates on the firme land, [529] to take the depth of the channel, and entered into the bough behinde the islands, [530] where there stood a little howse made of wood, and a great fall of water into the land. [531] The same morning we hoysed vp our anckor, [532] thinking once againe to try what we could doe to further our uoyage; but our admirall being of another minde, lay still till the fifteene of September.

The same day in the morning the winde draue in from the east end of the Wey-gates, [533] whereby wee were forced presently to hoyse anchors, and the same day sailed out from the west ende of the Wey-gates, with all our fleete, and made home-wardes againe, and that day past by the islands called Matfloe and Delgoy, [534] and that night wee sayled twelue [48] miles, north-west and by west, till Saterday in the morning, and then the winde fell north-east, and it began to snow.

The 16 of September, from morning to evening, wee sayled west north-west 18 [72] miles, at 42 fadome deepe; in the night it snowed, and there blew very much winde out of the north-east: the first quarter [535] wee had 40 fadome deepe, but in the morning we saw not any of our ships.

After that wee sailed all the night againe till the 17 of September in the morning, with two schower sailes, [536] north-west and by west and west north-west 10 [40] miles; the same day in the second quarter we had 50 fadome deepe, and in the morning 38 fadome deepe, sandy ground with blacke shels. [537]

Sunday in the morning wee had the winde north and north-west, with a great gale, and then the admirals pinnace kept vs company, and sailed by vs with one saile from morning to evening, south south-west and south-west and by south, for the space of 6 [24] miles.

Then we saw the point of Candynaes [538] lying south-east from vs, and then wee had 27 fadome deepe, redde sand with blacke shels. Sunday at night wee put out our focke sayle, [539] and wound northward ouer, and sayled all that night till Munday in the morning, 7 [28] or 8 [32] miles north-east and north-east and by east.

The 18 of September in the morning, wee lost the sight of the pinnace that followed vs, and till noone sought after her, but wee could not finde her, and sailed [540] east-ward 3 [12] miles, and from noone till night wee sailed north and by east foure [16] miles. And from Munday at night till Tuesday in the morning, north-east and by north, seuen [28] miles; and from morning till noone, north-east and by north, 4 [16] miles; and from noone till night, north-east, [541] 5 [20] or 6 [24] miles, at 55 fadome deepe; the same euening wee woond south-ward, and sailed so till morning.