ped off
at about three fathom's distance from the anchor, so that we lost the
latter. As we were setting our foresail, a musket-shot was fired from the
Yacht Wesel, upon which we dropped our other anchor again; when towards
the evening the weather had somewhat improved, we sent our orangbay to
the Wesel, to learn the meaning of the musket-shot; when the men
returned, they informed us that the Wesel had also lost an anchor, but
that the buoyrope had remained entire, so that we remained here till the
following day in order to recover the same.

On Tuesday the 17th do. towards noon we were informed that the buoy-rope
of the Wesel had broken of its own accord close to the anchor, so that
they had also lost their anchor, upon which forthwith weighing the
anchors of both the Yachts, we found that the cables had also been
damaged through rubbing against hidden stones and rocks.

{Page 70}

As beforementioned, the coast here extends W.S.W. for the space of about
4 miles, with hardly any curve; at 3/8 of a mile's distance from the land
there is already 8 and 7 fathom, good clayey bottom; the wind still blew
from the S.E. and E.S.E. with a steady stiff gale; towards the evening we
came to anchor in 7 fathom good anchoring-ground, at about half a mile's
distance from the land, having the point E.S.E. of us at less than a
mile's distance.

Up to now we have seen no men, vessels or houses; we should certainly
have landed with the boats here and there, but that they were both of
them stove in, and had first to be thoroughly overhauled before they
could be used. During the night the weather was lovely and calm.

On Wednesday the 18th do., the wind blowing from the E.S.E., the weather
was calmer, fairer and steadier than before. We gave a coat of tar to
both our yachts, and remained at anchor the whole of this day, chiefly in
order to see if we could not get sight of natives here or there and come
to parley with the same, but we waited in vain for them. During the night
the weather was bright, fair and clear, the wind blowing from the S.S.E.,
S.E., and E.S.E.

On Thursday the 19th do. at daybreak, the wind being E.S.E. with fair
weather and a weak breeze, we weighed anchor and shaped our course to
W.S.W., slightly more to westward. (The land here extends with a great
curve and river as far as the Witte Hoeck [White point], known by the
white sand-hill near the strand when you come from the east).

At 4 glasses after breakfast w