Note 366 — THE THIRD VOYAGE NORTH-WARD TO THE KINGDOMES OF CATHAIA and China, in Anno 1596.

The 5 of January it was somewhat still and calme weather.366 Then we digd our doore open againe, that we might goe out and carry out all the filth that had bin made during the time of our being shut in the house, and made euery thing handsome, and fetched in wood, which we cleft; and it was all our dayes worke to further our selues as much as we could, fearing lest we should be shut up againe. And as there were three doores in our portall, and for yt our house lay couered ouer in snow, we took ye middle doore thereof away, and digged a great hole in the snow that laie without the house, like to a side of a vault,367 wherein we might go to ease our selues and cast other filth into it. And when we had taken paines368 al day, we remembered our selues that it was Twelf Even,369 and then we prayed our maister370 that [in the midst of all our troubles] we might be merry that night, and said that we were content to spend some of the wine that night which we had spared and which was our share euery second day, and whereof for certaine daies we had not drunke; and so that night we made merry and drunke to the three kings.371 And therewith we had two pound of meale [which we had taken to make paste for the cartridges], whereof we [now] made pancakes with oyle, and [we laid to] euery man a white bisket372 which we sopt in [the] wine. And so supposing that we were373 in our owne country and amongst our frends, it comforted vs as well as if we had made a great banket374 in our owne house. And we also made375 tickets, and our gunner was king of Noua Zembla, which is at least two hundred [800] miles long376 and lyeth betweene two seas.377