The 19 of October ye wind blew north-east, and then there was but two men and a boy in the ship, at which time there came a beare that sought forcibly to get into the ship, although the two men shot at her with peeces of wood,[232] and yet she ventured vpon them,[233] whereby they were in an extreame feare; [and] each of them seeking to saue them selues, the two men leapt into the balust,[234] and the boy clomed into the foot mast top[235] to saue their liues; meane time some of our men shot at her with a musket, and then shee ran away.
The 20 of October it was calme sunshine weather, and then againe we saw the sea open,[236] at which time we went on bord to fetch the rest of our beere out of the ship, where we found some of the barrels frozen in peeces, and the iron heapes[237] that were vpon the josam barrels[238] were also frozen in peeces.
The 21 of October it was calme sunshine wether, and then we had almost fetched all our victuals out of the ship [to the house]. [[117]]
The 22 of October the wind blew coldly and very stiff north-east, with so great a snow that we could not get out of our dores.
The 23 of October it was calme weather, and the wind blew north-east. Then we went aboord our ship to see if the rest of our men would come home to the house; but wee feared yt it would blow hard againe, and therefore durst not stirre with the sicke man, but let him ly still that day, for he was very weake.
The 24 of October the rest of our men, being 8 persons, came to the house, and drew the sicke man vpon a slead, and then with great labour and paine vve drew our boate[239] home to our house, and turned the bottome thereof vpwards, that when time serued vs (if God saued our liues in the winter time) wee might vse it. And after that perceiuing that the ship lay fast and that there was nothing lesse to be expected then the opening of the water, we put our [kedge-]anchor into the ship againe, because it should not be couered ouer and lost in the snow, that in the spring time[240] we might vse it: for we alwaies trusted in God that hee would deliuer vs from thence towards sommer time either one way or other.
Things standing at this point with vs, as the sunne (when wee might see it best and highest) began to be very low,[241] we vsed all the speede we could to fetch all things with sleades out of our ship into our house, not onely meate and drinke but all other necessaries; at which time the winde was north.
The 26 of October we fetcht all things that were necessary for the furnishing of our scute and our boate:[242] and when we had laden the last slead, and stood [in the track-ropes] ready to draw it to the house, our maister looked about him and [[118]]saw three beares behind the ship that were comming towards vs, whereupon he cryed out aloud to feare[243] them away, and we presently leaped forth [from the track-ropes] to defend our selues as well as we could. And as good fortune was, there lay two halberds vpon the slead, whereof the master tooke one and I the other, and made resistance against them as well as we could; but the rest of our men ran to saue themselues in the ship, and as they ran one of them fell into a clift of ice,[244] which greeued vs much, for we thought verily that the beares would haue ran vnto him to deuoure him; but God defended him, for the beares still made towards the ship after the men yt ran thither to saue themselues. Meane time we and the man that fel into the clift of ice tooke our aduantage, and got into the ship on the other side; which the beares perceiuing, they came fiercely towards vs, that had no other armes to defend vs withall but onely the two halberds, which wee doubting would not be sufficient, wee still gaue them worke to do by throwing billets [of fire-wood] and other things at them, and euery time we threw they ran after them, as a dogge vseth to doe at a stone that is cast at him. Meane time we sent a man down vnder hatches[245] [into the caboose] to strike fire, and another to fetch pikes; but wee could get no fire, and so we had no meanes to shoote.[246] At the last, as the beares came fiercely vpon vs, we stroke one of them with a halberd vpon the snoute, wherewith she gaue back when shee felt her selfe hurt, and went away, which the other two yt were not so great as she perceiuing, ran away; and we thanked God that wee were so well deliuered from them, and so drew our slead quietly to our house, and there shewed our men what had happened vnto vs. [[119]]
The 26 of October the wind was north and north north-west, with indifferent faire wether. Then we saw [much] open water hard by the land, but we perceiued the ice to driue in the sea still towards the ship.[247]
The 27 of October the wind blew north-east, and it snowed so fast that we could not worke without the doore. That day our men kil’d a white fox, which they flead, and after they had rosted it ate thereof, which tasted like connies[248] flesh. The same day we set vp our diall and made the clock strike,[249] and we hung vp a lamp to burne in the night time, wherein we vsed the fat of the beare, which we molt[250] and burnt in the lampe.