t to work; they go to work through the snow to the ship,
and about their other business. Our cook doth order our food in this
manner. The beef which is to serve on Sunday night to supper, he doth
boil on Saturday night in a kettle full of water, with a quart of
oatmeal, about an hour. Then taking the beef out, he doth boil the rest
till it is thick, which we call porridge, which, with bread, we do eat
as hot as we may; and after this we have fish, and thus we have some
warm thing every supper.

But many of our sick eat nought save a little oatmeal or pease. Hitherto
we have taken but a dozen foxes in all our traps.

Feb. 10.--The cold is as extreme just now as at any time this year, and
many of our men complain heavily of sickness; two-thirds of our company
are under the surgeon's hand. And yet, nevertheless, they must work
daily, and go abroad to fetch wood and timber notwithstanding the most
of them have no shoes to put on. Their shoes, upon their coming to the
fire out of the snow, were burnt and scorched upon their feet, and they
were forced to bind old clothes about their feet. Our clock and watch,
though we have kept them ever by the fireside, yet they are so frozen
that they cannot go. The inside of our house is hanged with icicles, and
many a time when I put my hand into the brass kettle by the fire, I find
one side very warm, and the other side an inch frozen.

Mar. 15.--One of our men thinks that he has seen a deer, whereupon he
with two or three more desire that they may go and see if they can take
it, and I have given them leave.

Mar. 16.--Last evening did our hunters return, not having seen the deer,
but so disabled with cold, that they will not be well in a fortnight.

[Illustration: Return of the Hunters. (Page 40.)]

Mar. 31.--Our carpenter is now among our sick, his cutting tools are but
few, and these mostly broken and bound about with rope-yarn as fast as
may be. Thus our pinnace, on which lyeth so much of our hope of escape,
is but in an indifferent forwardness.

April 4.--To-day we have been sitting all about the fire, reasoning and
considering together about our estate. The time and season of the year
comes forward apace, and we have determined on this course. With the
first warm weather we will begin to clear the ship from the ice and
water, so that should the pinnace never be finished, as seemeth in doubt
through the sickness of our carpenter, we might yet have some hope in
our old ship t