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40 Johann Wilhelm Vogel
(See also item 67.) Translated from his ‘Ost-Indianische Reise-Beschreibung ...’, Altenburg 1716: the first edition, ‘Diarium ...’, Frankfurt and Gotha 1690, is much less complete. In 1678 he went from Ernsterode to Rotterdam, the journey given in detail. There taken on by the Dutch East-India Company as Assayer, at 20 guilders per month, plus 3 Rxd. ration-money and 40 lb. of rice, relatively high pay. Embarked in Holländische Thuyn at Texel, sailing with two other merchantmen and a frigate* on ‘December 9’, but December 19 by Hague codex 4389 folio 70: Vogel generally uses Old Style* dates, as here. Channel. Canaries. Abrolhos. He gives some twelve pages of valuable details of life aboard the Dutch East-Indiamen of the period.
On the 18th [April 1679; but dr 28/4] we sighted the long-desired and wished-for promontory Cabo buon Esperanza, and at once water was issued in unlimited quantities, and we were given three meals a day. We made for it, passed to the right of the Robben Island, and anchored in the Table Bay or harbour under the fortress or Castle called ‘Good Hope’, with a W.N.W. wind, in 6 fathoms, sandy bottom....
On the said Robben Island there are very many birds called Pingvins, almost as large as geese, as also a great quantity of rabbits, and in the sea many seals or sea-dogs. The said Pingvins have quite short wings and cannot fly, so that they can easily be taken by the hands though care must be taken lest they wound one with their very sharp beaks. Their skin is so tough and hard that one can hardly cut through it with a good cutlass. They are no use for food since they are very oily, but the feathers are as good as swans' feathers, and well to be used in mattresses.
The said Cabo buon Esperanza is the outermost corner [sic] of the southern part of Africa: it lies on 34 degrees south of the Equator, and extends for some hundred miles* along the sea. Some believe that it is a continent, of some thousand miles in extent. It has very large and high hills which can be seen from far out at sea. Among them the
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principal ones are the Lion, Table and Devil's Hills, which three close in the Fort and the Burghers' houses near it, in one site. The first two may have their names because the one has the form of a lion, the other of a table.
The Castle or Fort* called ‘The Good Hope’ lies close under the Devil's Hill: it has five bastions, and always a garrison* of 4 to 500 European soldiers. The buildings in it are flat on top, and the platforms on these are provided with iron railings, and here at times the Governor eats, and entertains officers from abroad and Company's Servants coming with the ships. Otherwise the principal use of these terraces is that on hot days one can get fresh air on them.
Near the Castle towards the Lion Hill the European burgher-settlers have built their houses of brick in the Dutch style, to the number of about 70 or 80 [see Town*]. Also on the flat below the Table Mountain and the Lion Hill is the Company's lovely and remarkable Pleasure- and Vegetable Garden*, which is 1400 paces long and 220 to 230 paces broad [say 33 morgen*]. In this garden are to be found all European and Indian fruits, and the beds and sections are neatly edged with rosemary, growing almost to the height of a man. In the avenues and beside them and also elsewhere citron, pomegranate, orange and other rare Indian trees are to be seen in fine arrangement, as also European apple, pear, peach, quince and other trees, which at all seasons richly yield their fruits. In addition there is no lack of melons, water-lemons, cabbages, sweet potatoes, salads and other kitchen-herbs, of which a good quantity is given to all Dutch ships when they arrive, for the refreshing of the crews. In this Garden are also the most lovely herbs and flowers to be found in all Africa. Towards midday or the South such herbs and flowers from Asia are to be seen, towards midnight or the North such plants from America. In addition a good quantity of vines is to be seen, and the white grapes are considered the best, and even better than those in France. In a word, the Garden is a brief epitome of all the finest plants, flower herbs, and fruit-trees to be found in Europe, Asia, Africa and America.
The land of the Cabo buon Esperanza lies in such a temperate climate that it is never really cold there, and far less is anything known of snow or frost: the S. and S.E. winds alone cause unfriendly and showery weather. The Summer begins in November and ends in January, the Autumn begins in February and ends in April, Winter arrives in May and bids farewell in July, and the lovely Spring appears in August and is followed after the end of October by Summer. And since the land is blessed by God with such a healthy and temperate climate, more and more Europeans settle there, and cultivate the soil more and more, so that now the loveliest farm-fields and pastures are to be found there, and a great quantity of wheat is produced each year, as also a tasty wine, closely resembling French wine. Here also much attention is paid to cattle- and sheep-breeding by the farmers living some miles* inland, but especially by the real inhabitants of the country, the Hottentots, and each year a great number of cattle and sheep is produced, so that there is no lack of these in this land, nor of milk and butter.
Besides this attention is also paid to feathered fowl, such as hens, geese, ducks, and
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the like, so that these also are available here in great quantity.
The oxen in general have high humped* backs, and many have no horns. The sheep are considerably larger than those in Europe, and most of them have hair like goats instead of wool. Their tails are thick and fat, and many of them are as heavy as the thigh of a wether. The cattle and sheep are driven out by the farmers early each morning to graze, but in the evenings they are driven back into the stalls (which are set around with palisades, but open above and without roofs) to prevent them from being devoured by the wild beasts.
The grass in general grows so high that it comes up to one's knees, and, when it is too old and tough to be any more eaten by the beasts, it is set on fire by the inhabitants, so that at times it is to be seen burning for several miles. But in order that the fire may go no further than the inhabitants wish, they dig out a trench, at which the fire decreases and dies out when it reaches it, for lack of more near-by grass to feed it. The ashes of such burnt grass manure the land where the fire was, and make it so fertile that, when light rains fall, in a short time new or young grass grows up, into which the animals are driven to graze; and thus in one region after another where the grass has become too old, it is thus renewed by the operation of burning it. Inland the best game is found, such as deer, wild boars, roebuck, steinbok, hares, rabbits and suchlike. There is also no lack of peacocks, pheasants, partridges and other feathered game, and certain hunters* are appointed to provide the Governor yearly and weekly with such game, and who also sell it to the European farmers, although it is not forbidden to these to shoot it [on their own lands for their own use].
At times whole flocks of cranes are to be seen in the fields, which however are very difficult to shoot, since they keep a keen watch, and fly off as soon as they see Europeans with firearms. In the deserts and the forests are many dangerous beasts, both of prey and others, such as lions, elephants, tigers, rhinoceroses or ‘nose-horners’, wolves, wild dogs, as also elands and apes, and in addition many snakes; and at times some of them are shot and taken, the skins of lions and tigers, as also of leopards and snakes being dried and stuffed, and hung up in the entrance to or within the Castle, and shown to newly-arrived strangers [see Museum*].
Some of the Europeans living at the Cabo buon Esperanza keep ostriches, the young of which they rear, letting old and young walk about the streets. This bird has a wonderful nature, in that if iron or steel is thrown before it, it swallows it; and also digests it, since anyone who goes near them can hear how in the body or belly there is a boiling as if in a strongly-heated pot, so that there must be a terrible heat or fire therein. If anyone wishes to annoy this bird, especially an old one, it defends itself with its feet, kicking out behind it like a horse, and this with such strength that it can readily knock down and lay out anyone who is not careful.
About 12 or 14 Dutch miles* inland from the Cabo buon Esperanza there is a very pleasant and fruitful region, quite flat and level, and in compass almost 16 miles. Here Governor von der Stell, a man of great experience in administration, has set and founded
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[sic: dr 3/11 named only, and this after Vogel had left] a village called Stellenbusch, with many sheep- and cattle-farms belonging to the East-India Company; and this stretch of land is not so much exposed to the storms and squalls as are the regions on and near the seashore.
If now anyone wishes to settle here, or elsewhere in the country but lacks the means [‘Verlag’], the Governor gives him a house and as much land as he asks for, with the right to bequeath it [‘erblich’]; and so that he may properly start his husbandry, and can prepare and sow his fields, he is given oxen, cows, sheep, pigs, a waggon, a plough, seed-corn and farm implements, all at a definite taxed valuation, which afterwards he pays in reasonable instalments, according to their value, to the East-India Company, or rather to their office at the Cabo buon Esperanza [see Freemen*].
For the first three years such a newly-established farmer is free of all taxes and duties, but after the expiration of this period he must surrender the tenth part of all the corn grown. After the harvest, when the corn has been reaped and brought into the barns and threshed, twenty to thirty farmers or inhabitants in the region of Stellenbusch form a waggon-convoy [‘Gespannschaft’]. Each loads as much corn as he can conveniently transport, and they set out towards evening from the said Stellenbusch; and in the morning (since they travel all night) they arrive in good time at Cabo buon Esperanza. There they go to the Governor, and each lays before him a sample of his corn, whereupon he strikes a bargain and takes over the corn, and, after deduction of the tithe due to the East-India Company, pays for the rest in cash. This is then stored up in the granary and provision-house, and later sent by ship to Batavia and elsewhere.
The said Governor Herr von der Stell, diligent to examine everything closely and carefully, started an inland expedition* in the year 1685 [Vogel anticipates by six years] at the end of May [August], to obtain as much information as might be possible of the lands inland from Cabo buon Esperanza, and at the same time to see if any gold or silver mines could be discovered in these. For this purpose the Mine-Overseer Werlinhoff and 4 miners were ordered to prepare themselves and accompany the expedition: they were at the said Cabo at that time and had begun to prospect for metal and ores at the Steenberge, but he later, in 1686 [dr 8/6/86] arrived on the west coast of Sumatra (as will be told later) and there told me of this journey. Their departure from the said Cabo buon Esperanza was at the end of May [sic: August] 1685, that is to say in the middle of the Winter, so that there should be no lack of water during the journey. Governor von der Stell in person led during all the expedition, and had with him, besides the aforesaid Mine-Overseer and miners, also 54 well-armed soldiers including 2 trumpeters and some musicians who could play on flageolets and viols, as also some Hottentots to serve as interpreters during the journey. In addition there were 40 waggons, 150 oxen, 300 sheep and 28 horses, together with 2 small cannon and their ammunition, and a shallop* loaded on a waggon and flying the Prince's Flag*. This was for use in passing the streams or rivers to be met with, the sheep for food on the way, the waggons for the transport of the provisions taken, the baggage and other necessary items, these waggons being drawn
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by yokes of oxen and horses.
In this manner the journey was now set forward, over hill and dale, through hedges and bush, now over sandy land, now over wide heaths, sometimes through waste valleys in which they were in great danger from wild and huge beasts, and then again through pleasant and agreeable lands and fields filled with the most beautiful herbs, during the whole journey keeping the sea 10 to 12 miles* to the west of them. Where they halted for the night they set very strong and diligent watches, and lit many fires all around the camp. Then, after they had as aforesaid had marched now over rough, now over pleasant lands and regions, in which they met eight different African tribes, and from each the Governor had taken a few men along with him with the good consent of the people, they reached a hill, or better said a region which rose little by little like a hill and was very dry and barren. To climb over this took them 40 days [cf. in item 55], and the waggons must be taken to pieces and loaded on the oxen and horses, since it was impossible to use them on this hill.
It is easy to imagine how difficult must have been the passage over this barren region, where moreover no grass or bushes were to be found, everything looking as if burned; and no water, or very little, so that all the party suffered great privation. However, having got over the said hill and being come to the far side of it, and the dismantled waggons being again put together, they now met with a lovely and fruitful land full of all sorts of plants and animals, where whole troops of Africans came to meet them. At their coming, by orders of the Governor the 2 trumpeters and the flageolet-players must let their instruments be sounded, together with the other musicians who were with the company, as was said; and this so pleased the Africans that they all began to hop and leap, showing thereby all good will to the newly-arrived travellers. Indeed these Africans [Namaquas] were the most civilised and most intelligent of all those met with in all the journey.
The aforesaid Herr Governor would willingly have continued the journey further, but since a considerable time had passed, in which they had discovered 250 miles* of territory and advanced as far as the 25th degree [sic, 29½] of southern latitude, he must consider whether, if they marched further, the return-journey might not be too difficult, and also too dangerous for lack of water and other provisions. He therefore resolved to return to Cabo buon Esperanza, and tried to hasten this as much as possible. He took along a few of these Africans, as he had done previously with the other eight tribes, with agreement of their folk, intending that these and the others should be instructed in the Dutch language, to make use of them as interpreters in any further inland expedition. With them and the rest of his followers he arrived safe and sound back at the Cabo buon Esperanza, after the lapse of 5 months and having endured great discomfort. And it is worthy of note, that various streams which previously were so deep that they could not be passed without the help of the shallop*, were now on the return-journey entirely dried up, so that they were crossed dry-shod. Also that in this return-journey they saw far fewer wild beasts than previously in the outwards march, since these had now retired towards Cabo buon Esperanza because of the lack of water. As also that they found no
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lodes of gold or silver, and met with no single mineral-deposit [‘Berg-geschick’: the copper was obviously kept a secret]: far less did they find the region of the River or Stream Vigita* magna, which according to the legends carries much gold with it. Thus far what was related by the aforesaid Mine-Overseer and the miners.
[Tavernier quoted for gold in Abyssinia. Gold from the rivers of Monomotapa brought to Sofala and Cairo.]
But I consider that something more must be told regarding the Table and Lion Hills. As concerns the former, the Table Mountain, this touches the Lion Hill to the South: it is very high and, as already mentioned, is shaped above like a table. At its foot there flows a little streamlet of clear water, which takes its course through low bush growing beside it to the Company's Garden, and thence into the sea, where it provides the ships with fresh water.
I was anxious to climb this so widely described hill, and see for myself how its highest summit was composed; but I must let pass this curiosity and desire, since during my stay here the weather was stormy every day, cloudy and mixed with rain, in which such sightseeing was impossible. I must therefore be satisfied with what was told me by a reliable person travelling in our ship, who had already twice made the East-Indian voyage, and during his second homeward passage had been on the top of the hill with another of his companions. They set out at daybreak, and at the foot of the hill (which here projects as a large corner) had passed through some bush; and then came into a valley, or better said a gorge [Platteklip Gorge], with many sharp rocks and overhanging cliffs which looked as if they would fall down at any moment. They clambered onwards over many of them, holding fast by their hands to them and to some bushes growing on them. After they had passed these they arrived at a rock, past which rushed a rapid stream: this rock was very narrow on top, so that they crept over it on hands and feet, with much toil and not without danger. After this they came with great difficulty into a passage or path, which was at the most 4 feet wide. On the left of this one looked down from the high rocks into a terrifyingly deep abyss, but on the right side the rocks stood up vertically and seemed to reach the sky with their tops. At last they came to the summit or flat of the hill, at 1 or 2 of the afternoon by their reckoning. What seemed the most wonderful thing in this dangerous clambering up the hill, was that none of the rocks fell down while they were crossing them, although they seemed to hang entirely free in the air without any support. The hill was quite flat and level on top, as if paved. There they took their midday meal of a piece of biscuit and a little arrack or brandy, and quenched their thirst with a drink of the water which they found and gathered in the
crevices of the hill. After this midday meal they wandered around on the hill and looked at the lovely landscape. On this hilltop they found the finest grass and the most lovely flowers, and judged by all appearances that the winds were not so strong on the heights as in the valleys. In brief, the east, south and north sides of the hill filled them with great pleasure; but on the contrary the west side was horrible when one looked down from it towards the sea. The Castle or Fortress ‘The Good Hope’ at the Cabo buon Esperanza and the houses standing near it looked,
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from this great height, like only the smallest sentry-boxes, and the large ships lying in the bay like little canoes [‘Canoën’], vessels in which there is barely room for one person.
After they had sufficiently looked around, and when it seemed to them time to return, they left their noonday table, and clambered down the hill again, with the same toil and danger as when climbing up; and late that night came, with hungry stomachs, tired legs, and torn stockings, to a farm-house where they took shelter, revived themselves with fresh milk and butter, which was then for them the most delightful of all food, and there rested, making for their ships again the next day. This is what the afore-mentioned person told me of the Table Mountain and of its nature.
Next follows the Lion Hill. This looks like a lion, and stretches its tail to the west, its head to the east [NW - SE]. On this head one man keeps watch, and when any Dutch or other ships are sighted at sea, as a signal hoists a Prince's Flag*, which is some 30 ells long and about 14 ells broad (although from below it looks only like a large napkin or small table-cloth) on a strong and high mast set up here for this, and at the same time fires a shot from a small iron cannon there. This flag serves also as a signal to the ships arriving, to enter and run in more readily into the Table Bay. [The 1690 edition adds here a mention of ‘many slaves, mostly Caffers from Angola and Madagascar’.]
I think it will not now be amiss if some mention is also made of the real inhabitants of the land, namely the Hottentots. These are a very uncivilised and rough folk. Men and women go entirely naked, having in place of clothing only a sheep-, seal-, or ox-skin, with the rough side inwards, covering their upper body; but also before their privities they hang a piece of undressed bush-cat or other skin, the women indeed a somewhat larger piece than the men. Over this the women also cover their posteriors with a wide piece of the same skin, made fast with two thongs. The men have a testicle* cut away in youth from their privities, and this because in their opinion they will thus be more skilful runners - and indeed they are so practised in this that a well-mounted rider finds it hard enough to overtake a Hottentot. When one of their cattle or sheep runs off, they are after it at once, and can quickly overtake it and grasp it by the horns or the hind feet, so that it must stand still as they wish. At times they go off inland to the province of Monomotapa* and to the Sardinie-Bay, and rob their neighbours there of oxen, cows and sheep [false], which afterwards they barter to the Dutch at a low price. 80 and more years ago, when the Dutch had not yet a firm hold at the Cabo buon Esperanza, and Cornelis Houtman, and later the Admiral Cornelis Matelieff first came there [sic: Houtman never came ‘there’] with their ships they could get 6 sheep for a bar of iron about 30 pounds in weight, or two fat oxen and three sheep for another bar broken into five parts, weighing some 70 pounds in all, or a sheep for a knife or the hoop of a cask. But now they are somewhat smarter in their trading, and do not give the beasts for so low a price; yet a fine sheep, if I reckon up the value of the goods given them such as iron, brass rings, tobacco and the like, does not cost more than half a dollar. They are great lovers of tobacco, and will work all day
for the Europeans for a small piece of it. They know nothing of sowing, planting, or fish-catching, but for the most part make do with roots* and
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a sort of onion, which they find in the waste lands and dig up. When they are given cooked food they gulp it down like hungry wolves. The intestines and guts of beasts thrown away by the Europeans are delicacies for them, only pressing out the dung and dirt a little, and then devouring them, whether fresh or half-rotten. For the rest, they live without cares, and consider the Europeans as slaves, in that they cultivate the land and live in forts and houses. The huts in which they live are made by them of reeds or straw, and are in shape like bake-ovens. Into these they creep through a low door, and sleep fully 10, 12 and more in one such hut. Around these huts they light fires by night, to be safe from the wild beasts, and similarly they have a hollow in the centre of the hut, in which they light a fire and crouch around it. When they have eaten up all the provender for themselves and their cattle at one place, they go off in a troop until they find another spot where there is fresh food for them and their beasts. And of such sort are only a few Hottentots to be found at the Cabo buon Esperanza, since when the ships sail they go off inland to their beasts. They have among them certain ‘Captains’, as they say, or Chiefs, who also perform the office of executioners and beat evildoers to death with sticks.
When they speak a word they always clack with the mouth, as when one snaps the fingers and thumb, and their speech is hard to understand; yet some few are to be found among the Europeans who have lived there for long, and have to do with them daily, who can manage to talk with them and can understand them. Of God and of His Knowledge they know little or nothing; yet it may be detected, that they have some veneration for the moon, since when this is new they come together and shriek and rave all night, and dance in a circle, in such dancing clapping their hands. At times also they have been found in dark and gloomy caves, where with hand-clapping they murmur something which none of the Europeans understand or know what it may be. And with this they have acted strangely, turning their eyes to heaven, and with a red stone making crosses on one another's brows, which is perhaps a sort of religious observance. Further, they are not uncharitable nor greedy, but gladly help one another, and they are seen to be generous in that when they possess anything they divide it up. The women, as has been said, wear instead of clothes just such raw skins of sheep, seals or oxen as do the men; and on the head a cap of the same skins. Moreover, they have a large bag hanging on their back, in which they often put their food, or else at times tobacco, roots, and other things. They hang many beads in their ears, and ornament the arms and neck with rings and chains of copper and brass, and also iron. Around the legs they wind many guts of oxen and sheep, which become dry and hard, and cause a considerable rattling or clattering as they walk. When they marry the girl gives the man, instead of an engagement-ring, the fat gut* of a sheep or ox around his neck, which he wears until it rots and falls away from there. Also the girl must let a joint be cut from her little finger*, and this she gives to the man as a sign of her trueness. Polygamy exists among them, and a man may put away his
wife if she does not suit him.
The women who are mothers carry the small suckling-children on their backs, and throw their long breasts, hanging down almost to the navel, back over their shoulders,
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and so feed them when they ask for it. Both men and women stink strongly, and when they are coming towards one from up-wind, they can be smelt further than seen; and this comes from the fact that they smear themselves with nasty stinking fat over the whole body from head to foot, not omitting their skin cloaks which they call Courussen. When they come aboard the ships their first request of the Captain is to be allowed to go to the cook and the Steward. Having got this leave, they first go to the cook in the galley, and ask him for grease, and when they get this they smear the whole body, and rub their hands on the kettles, and go again over their well-greased body with them full of soot, now considering that they have well adorned themselves. After the smearing is completed they come to the Steward, who has his room just above the galley, and by orders of the Captain he gives them tobacco and brandy, on which they usually get so drunk, that they do not know how to get ashore again; but before they are allowed to leave the ship they must first dance in their fashion. This they perform in a circle, and for accompaniment clap their hands and sing therewith, thinking that thus they do everything well. In short, the Hottentots are like a people that hold to no manners or virtues, but live as do the dumb beasts; since on various occasions trial has been made of clothing some of them in the Dutch manner, and teaching them all forms of behaviour; but such clothing and teaching has not pleased them for long, since they have thrown the clothes off them and again taken a raw sheepskin in their stead, and so gone off to their compatriots; and I almost believe that no other so barbarous a nation is to be found in the world. Nevertheless, they know how to make lovely weapons such as lances or pikes, from an old bit of iron, held of no account by us but often thrown away, and this without the aid of a hammer or other implement; and this is done in the following
manner; They take the piece of iron just as they get it, seek out a stone which is very firm and hard, lay the iron on this and beat it with another which must serve them as hammer, until they have brought it to the desired shape; and then they polish it so beautifully that one should think it had been made by a proper German armourer. These lances and pikes they use (especially the officers) in wars against their enemies. Besides this they know how to throw stones very accurately, and to defend themselves with long sticks*: indeed they are so skilled in this that they can artfully catch a stone thrown at them, and parry it to one side. It is nothing rare among them to hit with a stone at 100 paces a target the size of a threepenny piece [‘Dreier’].
But I must return to our ships which lay at anchor in the Table Bay, and tell all that happened there. In our ships the crews were busy bringing water, firewood and other necessities aboard from the land. Meanwhile on April 27 [dr 14/5] the East-India returnfleet of 13 sails [5 only arrived this day], with Admiral*, Vice-Admiral and Rear-Admiral came to anchor in the Table Bay not far from us. Their Admiral [Wayen, of the Council of Justice, by Valentyn] refused to strike his flag* to our Admiral [Member of the Council of the Indies]: therefore it was resolved first to fire a blank shot at his ship. But since he left his flag flying as before and did not strike it, our Gunner was ordered to fire one shot ahead of and another astern of the said ship; and in case the flag was not then struck, to
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shoot it from the mast with coupled shot or chain-shot. But the said Admiral did not await this last shot, but let his flag be struck and taken in after the two loaded guns had been fired at his ship as ordered, and in place of it set up a pennant [‘Wimpel’], which is a long, narrow flag, tapering to become quite sharp at the end; and this was not disputed him, since it is sea-custom. So ended this flag-quarrel; and thereafter he was also welcomed, together with the other return-ships, by [cannon-salutes from] our Admiral and our other ships.
On April 29 the south-east wind rose, blowing so strongly that on land many stones fell down out of the air, no doubt torn from the Table Mountain by such a wind; and this, as several told me, is nothing new in such gales.
During this storm no one could come ashore from the ships, nor go out to them. The sea in the Table Bay began to be so rough, that it was necessary to bring up and drop more anchors: we were lying, as is usually the custom, to two anchors, one called by the Dutch ‘'t Dagelyckse’ or ‘Daily-anchor’ [Bower], the other the ‘Tuy’ or ‘Richt-Ancker’ [Small Bower]. In addition to these two others were also now taken by the longboat a certain distance from the ship, and there dropped; but these four were not able to hold the ship in these raging waves, since we noticed that the said anchors began to drag, and we were thus in great danger of being driven, either against the other ships or onto the shore. Therefore our Captain had yet another three anchors* taken out and dropped, among which the so-called ‘Plecht’ [Sheet-anchor], the largest of all, called ‘Esperanza’ by the Portuguese; and this held fast. Meanwhile those which had come loose from the bottom were wound up one after the other and dropped again: of these, however we lost two in this two-day storm, and must leave them lying, since their anchorcables, although six inches and more in diameter, had snapped like viol-strings, and thus we lost them. We indeed attempted to get them again, since the usual signal- or markerbuoys were still fast to the broken cables, and by these it could well be seen where they lay. But our toil was in vain, and it proved impossible to wind them in, since it seemed as if they held fast to the rocks of the bottom, although later, after our departure, they were brought up and salvaged with the greatest toil, by care of Govr. von der Stell.
On May 1 a French ship arrived outside the harbour [dr 22/5, Soleil d'Orient], which hoisted a white flag and fired a gun, to which our Admiral fired three guns in reply. But the said ship would not trust herself to come nearer and into range of our guns, because she had cruised for so long in the Red Sea that she knew nothing of the peace made between Holland and France [dr 12/4]. However, after our Admiral had made her a signal by hoisting a white pennant beside the Prince's Flag, she entered the harbour and anchored, with great rejoicings and shouts of joy and the firing of 17 guns, being welcomed by our Admiral with 19 guns [?] and by the other ships with fewer guns, as the case might be [‘nach Advenant’].
Early in the morning of [May] the 12th [dr 1/6] our Admiral gave the signal to sail by firing a gun and hoisting the blue flag, at which all his ships raised anchor and sailed, with the firing of the cannon from all the ships around the harbour, the East-Indian
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return-fleet and the French ship for Holland and France, but we to continue our journey to Batavia. We drifted under the lower sails only ... out of the harbour, and were bidden farewell on our journey by 17 guns from the Fortress, which our Admiral acknowledged with 19 from his ship, the others each with two guns less.
After we had passed the Robben Island and were again in the open sea outside the Bay, the aforesaid return-ships broke off from us, and we set our course for India....
Arrived Batavia June 17. Then stationed at Sillida in Sumatra, for the gold-mines on Pulo Chinco island, until 1687. |
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