prayers were over, we
saw the south-land straight ahead to the great joy of all of us; it was
east of us, at about 3 or 5 miles' distance by estimation, when we got
sight of it; it was a low-lying coast extending mainly N.N.E. and S.S.W.
as given in the chart, so far as we could see. We immediately began to
sail close-hauled to port on a N.E. and N.E. by E. course, sometimes a
little higher and at other times a little lower, until three glasses in
the afternoon had run out, when we got a squall of rain with the wind
going over to W.N.W., upon which we ran north again, since at noon owing
to the nearly contrary wind we had gone over to W. in order to keep off
the land. We now shaped our course to north, at times to N. by W. nearly
as high as we could sail and the wind would allow us.

The land which we saw, and from which at noon we were at no more than 11/2
or two miles' distance by estimation, we judged to be the land of
d'Eendracht, and the land which we were near to at noon Dirck
Hartochsz-Roads, for we had before us a large bay or bight between two
capes. In the bay we could see no land from the main-topmast, but so far
as we could discern the surf ran through the whole bay from the one cape
to the other.

The land shows various white plots near the seaside, and in many places
rises very steeply so far as we could see.

The breakers on the coast were very strong, but there were no rocks or
shallows near the coast on which we could see the surf break, except at
the cape north of Dirck Hartochs Roads, off which there seemed to be a
small shoal or rock on which the surf broke, but it may as well have been
a landspit running southward out to sea from the cape.

As soon as we got sight of the land, we cast the lead, and took soundings
in 90 fathom whitish sandy bottom with small shells, at about 41/2 or 5
miles' distance from the land; in the middle of the forenoon we cast the
lead again and touched the bottom in 75 fathom coarse and fine sand,
mixed with small shells, at a little under 3 miles' distance from the
land; we saw a good deal of rock-weed float alongside.

At noon we sounded in 55 fathom, at about two miles' distance from the
shore, straight in front of Dirck Hartochsz Roads, greyish sand.

{Page 64}

About 2 o'clock in the afternoon we sounded in 50 fathom white, clean
sand-bottom, with very small, thin shells, at about i1/2 mile's distance by
estimation from the northern extremity of Dirck Hartochsz.