The same day in the euening we got to the west side of the Ice Hauen, where we were forced, in great cold, pouerty, misery, and griefe, to stay all that winter; the winde then being east north-east. [[100]]
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,[150] 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,[151] 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.
How the ice heaved up the fore part of our ship.
The 28 of August wee gat some of the ice from it,[152] 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,[153] 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[154] and other instruments, [[101]]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,[155] 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.[156]
The 31 of August, by the force of the ice, the ship was driuen vp 4 or 5 foote high at the beake head,[157] and the hinder part thereof lay in a clift[158] of ice, whereby we thought that the ruther would be freed from the force of the flakes of ice,[159] but, notwithstanding, it brake in peeces staffe[160] and all: and if that the hinder part of the ship had bin in the ice that draue as well as the fore part was, then all the ship[161] would haue bin driuen wholly vpon the ice, or possibly haue ran on groūd,[162] and for that cause wee were in great feare, and set our scutes and our boate[163] out vpon the ice, if neede were, to saue our selues. But within 4 houres after, the ice draue awaye of it selfe, wherewith we were exceeding glad, as if we had saued our liues, for that the ship was then on [[102]]float againe; and vpon that we made a new ruther and a staffe,[164] and hung the ruther out vpon the hooks, that if we chanced to be born[165] vpon the ice againe, as we had bin, it might so be freed from it.
The 1 of September, being Sunday, while we were at praier, the ice began to gather together againe, so that the ship was lifted vp [bodily] two foote at the least, but the ice brake not.[166] The same euening[167] the ice continued in yt sort still driuing and gathering together, so that we made preparation to draw our scute and the boate ouer the ice vpon the land, the wind then blowing south-east.
The 2 of September it snowed hard with a north-east wind, and the ship began to rise vp higher vpō the ice,[168] at which time the ice burst and crakt with great force, so that we were of opinion to carry our scute on land in that fowle weather, with 13 barrels of bread and two hogsheads[169] of wine to sustaine our selues if need were.