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all of us sworn to it on the 8th of June, 1629”, was signed—
Thereupon they commenced their voyage in the name of the Lord, and sailed into the open. In the afternoon they were in latitude 28 deg. 13 min. and shortly afterwards sighted the mainland, probably-about six miles north by west of their foundered ship, the wind blowing from the west. They were there in about 28 or 30 fathoms of water, wherefore in the evening they turned away from the land, but went near it again about midnight. On the morning of the 9th they were still about three miles from the shore, the wind, with some rain, being mostly north-west. They guessed that during these 24 hours they had made from four to five miles in a northwesterly direction. The shore in these parts stretches mostly north-west and south-east; a bare and rocky coast, without trees, about as high as at Dover, in England. They saw an inlet and some low, sandy dunes, which they thought they could approach; but, coming close, they found that near the beach the breakers were very rough and that the sea rolled high on the land, so that they could not very well risk the landing; since the wind rose more and more.
On the 10th they had to move about for a period of 24 hours on account of the strong wind and storm, which blew harder and harder from the nor-west, so that they were obliged to let go the sloop, which they had taken with them, and even to throw overboard some of their bread and other things that were in the way, as they could not otherwise bale out the water. In the night they were still in greater danger of sinking on account of the strong wind and the high seas. They had no means of keeping off the shore. They could carry no sail. They were at the mercy of the sea. That night a steady rain poured down, and they hoped that the people on the islands might also have some of it, and provide themselves with water. On the 11th, it became calmer, and the wind turned to the west-southwest. They therefore turned northward, but the sea was just as rough and high. On the 12th, at noon, the weather steadied down and cleared up. They were then at a latitude of 27 deg. They kept close to the shore, the wind being south-east, but they had no opportunity of nearing the land with the boat, for the breakers were too strong and the coast too steep and jagged, without any foreland or inlet, as is usually found on other coasts, so that it seemed to them, a bare and cursed country, devoid of green or grass. On the 13th, at noon, they were at a latitude of 25 deg. 10 min. They found then that they had drifted north a good deal, and had doubled the cape, keeping mostly northward during these 24 hours, as the coast now stretched north-north-east and south-south-west. The rocks were of redstone, a good deal battered and broken. There was no foreland. These rocks were all along of very much the same height, and made landing impossible on account of the breakers and high seas. On the 14th, in the morning, there was a gentle breeze, but during the day a calm set in. At noon they were in latitude 24 degs., keeping north with an east wind. The current still took them every day much round the north, greatly against their wish, for with but little sail they were close to the shore.
In the afternoon, seeing inland some smoke, they rowed thither, hoping to find an opportunity of landing. They were quite rejoiced, for they imagined that where there were people there would also be fresh water. Having reached the shore, they found the ground to be a steep and rough incline: stony and rocky, against which the breakers beat violently, so that they saw no means of landing. It made them very dejected, for they feared that they would have to depart without landing. At last six men, trusting themselves to their swimming powers jumped overboard, and reached the shore with great difficulty and peril, while the boat remained at anchor outside the breakers in 25 fathoms of water. The swimmers having reached the shore, looked the whole day for fresh water everywhere, till in the evening they became convinced that their search was vain.
They then happened upon four people, who were creeping towards them on their hands and feet. When one man, coming out of a hollow upon a height, suddenly approached them they leaped to their feet and fled full speed, which was |
distinctly observed by those in the boat. They were black savages, quite naked, leaving themselves uncovered like animals.
As those on the shore had spent the whole day without finding water, they swam aboard again towards evening being all a good deal hurt and bruised, since the breakers had dashed them roughly against the rocks. Then getting ready and lifting the grappling iron they started in search of a better opportunity, sailing along the coast all night with but little sail, and keeping outside the breakers. On the morning of the 15th, they came to a point where a large reef extended at about a mile from the coast, and, so it seemed, another reef along the shore, so that they tried their best to steer between |
could not keep to the shore. They were obliged to resolve on trying to continue their voyage to Batavia as soon as possible, with God’s help, in order to inform the worthy Governor and his councillors of their disaster, and to ask them for immediate assistance to rescue those who were left behind. For already they had sailed away from their ship and people more than 100 miles, without finding enough water to assist the others, and just obtaining sufficient to keep themselves on a ration of about two cupfuls daily.
On the 17th the sky was clouded, so that they could not take their bearings at noon; but with a north-west by north topsail breeze and dry weather they ran safely north-east for about 15 miles. On the 18th they could again not take their bearings at noon, but guessed that |
west along the coast, till in the evening they saw a cape in front of them, off which lay an islet covered with trees. They sailed past this cape in the dark, finding that a reef extended away from it, and that behind it there was deep inlet. Into this inlet they sailed north-north-west, and dropped anchor in eight fathoms of water on a hard ground. There they remained all that night.
Having weighed the anchor on the morning of the 28th, they rowed ashore to find fresh water, as they were very much exhausted by thirst. On the shore they found to their great delight a running streamlet, and, thanking God for his mercy, they quenched their great thirst. Having filled their casks with water, they sailed again at noon, continuing their journey to Batavia. On the 29th, at midnight, in the second |
sailed thither, and coming on board gave this dignitary, with a sad heart, the account of their great calamity. He was treated with the greatest kindness, and advised to remain on the ship till she reached Batavia. The other
vessels were the Bromvershaven and the Wesop under the command of Captain Grijp, who had sailed from Surat in the company of the worthy Pieter Van den Broeck, but had been parted from the others when at sea. On the 4th the vessel Bommel, coming from Surat sailed up to them, bringing word that some more vessels had been sighted by her crew outside the straits, but that they could not tell whether they were English or Dutch.
On the 5th, at the fall of darkness, they arrived in the harbour of Batavia, not knowing how they might sufficiently thank God the Lord for His mercy. TO THE READER
I have not yet at present a daily account of the events that took place about the ship and among the people who reached the islands while the Commodore had left for Batavia to seek assistance. The following meagre narrative and account of judicial proceedings and confessions are all that has come to hand so far. They contain, however, the principal horrors and murders that occurred and also the justice done to the perpetrators. Still the want of a continuous record has prevented my polishing this story in such good order as I had wished. I would, therefore, request anyone who should be in possession of further information or notes to place them in the hands of the printer, so that they may be added to a second edition. For the same reason, I trust that the deficiencies of this my work will be excused. With this I bid the reader farewell, recommending him to read all with judgment and discrimination. __________
The super-cargo, Jerome (Jeromius) Cornelisz, a chemist of Haarlem, together with some of his men, as David Seevangh, an assistant, Gijsbert van Welderen, Coenraedt van Huyssen, and other accomplices, had formed the intention to float the ship off if she had not come to grief. This supercargo and some of the crew remained on the wreck ten days after the ship had been reduced to this condition, until at last she was almost entirely broken to pieces. He did not know how to get ashore. For another two days he found refuge in the bow-sprit. Then he succeeded at last in floating ashore on a spar. Together with him there floated ashore a cask of fresh water, a cask of wine, and a cask of vinegar. Meanwhile Weobbye Hays, who had been sent with some men to a long island to look for fresh water, found some after a 26 days’ search.
The supercargo, Jerome Cornelisz, having been on the island for almost a month after the ship had run aground, and seeing the ship reduced to fragments, began to realise that his first intention of seizing the vessel had to be abandoned. Therefore he considered that his next alternative, being at the head of affairs during the absence of the Commodore, was to murder all the people except 10 men, and then with the scoundrels that remained under his command to seize the yacht that was expected to arrive from Batavia to rescue them, and to go pirating with her, or to run into port at Dunkirk or somewhere in Spain. Daily meditating this scheme of his, he selected the following miscreants for his councillors and helpers. David van Seevangh, Gijsbert van Welderen, Coenraldt van Huyssen, Cornelisz Pietersz of Utrecht, Jan Hendricksz of Bremen, Rutgert Frederiksz of Groningen, Hans Jacob Heylwerck of Basel, and others, making them sign the following contract and swear to it:
Webbye Hays and his men, who were still away looking for fresh water, and who, as has already been related, were successful after twenty days’ search, made three fires as a signal. But this signal was taken no notice of, for that day was the day of the general murder. Some that escaped the carnage and came to his island on wooden rafts brought him the terribly sad tidings of what had happened. He therefore, having with him now forty-five men, resolved to defend himself and his men, and to be ready for resistance if they came to fight him, making for this purpose | ||||||||
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the two, for the water there appeared to be calm and smooth. But they did not find an entrance until the afternoon, when they saw an opening where there were no breakers. But it was very dangerous, very stony, and often not holding two feet of water. The shore here had a foreland of dunes about a mile broad, before the higher land was reached.
When they had gone ashore they commenced to dig holes in the said foreland, but found nothing except salt water. Some of them therefore went higher up and fortunately found some small hollows in a cliff, full of fresh water that the rain had left there. They quenched their great thirst greedily, for they had almost succumbed. Since they had left the ship they had been without wine or other drink, except a daily allowance of one or two cups of water. They also collected a fair provision, about 80 cans of water, remaining there the whole night. It seemed that the blacks had been there just before, for they found the bones of crabs and the ashes of the fire. On the 16th, as soon as it was light, they resolved to go further inland, hoping to find more such hollows with fresh water in the mountains. But their search was vain, for they found that there had not been any rain in the mountains for a long time; nor was there any appearance of running water, for behind the mountain chain |
during those 24 hours they sailed about 10 miles with a west-north-west wind, having rough weather with rain and wind, the latter running to the north-east slightly north at noon. They then steered west. This rough, rainy weather continued on the 19th, and again they could not take their bearings. But they guessed that with a north-west by west wind they had come about seven miles north-north-east.
On the 20th, at noon, they found themselves in latitude 19 deg. 22 min, and calculated that during the last 24 hours they had made about 22 miles north, the wind being west-south-west, with a shaky top-sail breeze and sometimes rain. On the 21st they were once more unable to take their bearings at noon, they guessed that they had made about 23 miles north, while the wind changed from the south-west to the south-east; the breeze subsided now and then into a calm. On the 22nd at noon they were in latitude 15 deg. 10 min. at which they were not a little astonished, as they could not make out how they had gained so much latitude; but it appeared that the storm had driven them rapidly north. During these 24 hours they sailed north about a distance of 24 miles, the wind being mostly south-east with a shaky top-sail breeze. On the 23rd they were unable to take bearings. They guessed that they had sailed north-west about 16 miles. That day the wind ran to and fro, from east to west, |
quarter of the moon, they saw an island ahead, which they passed on the starboard side. At daybreak they had reached the western inlet; thence the course lies west-north-west, though one loses sight of the shore on account of the curve, for before one reaches the Trouvens Islands one meets the coast again. At noon they were in latitude 6 deg. 48 min. That day they had made about 30 miles, mostly west-north-west. About the middle of the afternoon they sailed between the two Trouvens Islands, on the most westerly of which there are a good many coconut palms. In the evening they were still a mile away from the southern corner of Java, and at the third hour-glass of the second watch they began to approach the Straits which separate Java from the Prince’s Islands.
On the morning of the 30th, being close to the aforesaid Prince’s Islands, they were becalmed and that day they only made two miles; but towards evening a slight breeze came up from the land. On the 1st of July the weather was calm in the morning, and at noon they were still about three miles from the Island of Dwars-inde-wegh (“Right-in-the-way”). The wind was changeable, and towards evening it began to blow more from the north-west, so that they could pass the said Island Dwars-inde-wegh. In the evening it was quite calm again and the whole night through they had to row. On the 2nd, arriving in the morning at | ||||||||||
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the country was flat again; bearing neither trees nor vegetation, nor grass, and being everywhere covered with high ant hills built of earth, which in the distance were not unlike Indian huts.
There were also such multitudes of flies that one could not keep them out of one’s mouth and eyes. They next saw eight black people, each carrying a stick in his hand. These approached them to a musket-shot’s distance, but when they saw our people coming towards them they took to their heels, and would neither speak nor stop.
Seeing that there was no chance of obtaining more water they resolved towards noon to leave and, setting sail, they passed through another opening of the aforesaid reef a little more to the north. They were then in latitude 22 degrees 17 minutes, and imagined they were approaching the river of Jacob Kemmessensz, but the wind ran to the north-east and they |
the weather being variable and rainy and frequently calm. In the evening the wind became south-south-east with a breeze.
On the 24th the weather was dry, a topsail breeze blowing from the south-east by south. At noon they were in latitude 13 deg. 30 min., and had during those 24 hours made 25 miles north by west. On the 25th they had a south-east wind, dry weather and a topsail breeze. At noon they were in latitude 11 deg. 30 min. and had made 31 miles north by west. That day they saw floating on the water much rockweed. On the 26th, they had reached 9 deg. 36 min., having sailed about 24 miles north by west, with a south-easterly wind and dry weather.
On the 27th the wind was south-east, a topsail breeze and rainy weather, so that they could take no bearings. In the afternoon they sighed the coast of Java being then as they guessed ih latitude 8 deg. and four to five miles away from the shore. They, therefore, took their course west-north- |
the island called “Toppers-hat”, they had to drop the anchor till eleven o’clock on account of the calm, waiting for the sea-breeze. But no wind came, and that whole day they had to row again, making only two miles before that evening.
In the setting sun they saw, about the Island Dwars-inde-wegh, a sail astern, wherefore they ran under the shore dropping the anchor in order to wait for her. Having weighed anchor before day break on the morning of the 3rd, they made for the strange ship in order to ask for some guns to use in their defence, as they did not know whether it was war or peace between the Dutch and the Javanese; but when they came nearer they saw three ships, the nearest being the yacht Sardam, which took the Commodore Francois Pelsaert on board. From the merchant-captain, Van Dommelen, he learnt that the largest vessel was named Frederick Hendrick, and had on board the member of the Privy Council for India, Mr. Raemburgh. He | ||||||||||
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