DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.70301#0430
392 kirby’s wonderful museum.
tree, and lifting the pole gently up, I fixed the loop about
the partridge’s neck, and giving it a sudden jirk, closed the
loop, and secured the bird. We then went towards the fire
with our prize, and boiled it in some melted snow, together
with a little salt water, to give the broth a relish: having di-
vided it into six equal parts, and cast lots for the choice of
each, we sat down to what we found a delicious meal.
On the afternoon of the 29th it began to freeze hard, when
we took the advantage of the frost to stop the boat’s leaks as
before; and the wind continuing moderate, we launched her
and put to sea. The day being almost spent before we set
off, we could not make above seven miles to a sandy beach
and thick w’ood, which seemed to afford a tolerable shelter.
In this place we passed the night; and the next day we
launched our boat betimes in the morning, in order to get
before night as far as possible on our journey; but we had
not proceeded above six miles before the wind freshening up
from the south-west, obliged us to put ashore, and haul up
our boat.
A heavy fall of rain, which continued the whole day, ren-
dered our situation extremely uncomfortable, and melted
again the icy caulking of the boat. We were therefore to
console ourselves as well as we could, in the certainty of re-
maining here till a return of the frost, and meanwhile pro-
posed to reconnoitre as far as our reduced state would allow
us into the country. In this, howTever, we were prevented
by the quantity of snow which still lay on the ground, and
was not yet sufficiently frozen to bear our weight without
rackets or snow'-shoes.
Soon after, the wind coming round to the north-west, and
bringing the frost along with it, we were once more enabled
to repair our boat, and to prepare for launching it, as soon as
the wind should abate its violence. This happening in some
degree on the 1st of February, we immediately embarked,
and pursued our coasting voyage; but the severity of the
tree, and lifting the pole gently up, I fixed the loop about
the partridge’s neck, and giving it a sudden jirk, closed the
loop, and secured the bird. We then went towards the fire
with our prize, and boiled it in some melted snow, together
with a little salt water, to give the broth a relish: having di-
vided it into six equal parts, and cast lots for the choice of
each, we sat down to what we found a delicious meal.
On the afternoon of the 29th it began to freeze hard, when
we took the advantage of the frost to stop the boat’s leaks as
before; and the wind continuing moderate, we launched her
and put to sea. The day being almost spent before we set
off, we could not make above seven miles to a sandy beach
and thick w’ood, which seemed to afford a tolerable shelter.
In this place we passed the night; and the next day we
launched our boat betimes in the morning, in order to get
before night as far as possible on our journey; but we had
not proceeded above six miles before the wind freshening up
from the south-west, obliged us to put ashore, and haul up
our boat.
A heavy fall of rain, which continued the whole day, ren-
dered our situation extremely uncomfortable, and melted
again the icy caulking of the boat. We were therefore to
console ourselves as well as we could, in the certainty of re-
maining here till a return of the frost, and meanwhile pro-
posed to reconnoitre as far as our reduced state would allow
us into the country. In this, howTever, we were prevented
by the quantity of snow which still lay on the ground, and
was not yet sufficiently frozen to bear our weight without
rackets or snow'-shoes.
Soon after, the wind coming round to the north-west, and
bringing the frost along with it, we were once more enabled
to repair our boat, and to prepare for launching it, as soon as
the wind should abate its violence. This happening in some
degree on the 1st of February, we immediately embarked,
and pursued our coasting voyage; but the severity of the