and able to
enumerate with surprising facility. Indeed, I think he spent most of
his spare time in mental arithmetic, calculating the riches and
treasure which he hoped some day to obtain.

One evening, when Hartog and I were seated together in front of our
tent, de Castro brought us a paper which he said had been given him by
a relative at Lisbon, who informed him that it was an extract from an
ancient Portuguese manuscript, supposed to have been written by
navigator Van Nuyts in 1467. The translation of this curious paper ran
as follows:

"Land of Gold. While some fishermen of Lamakera, in the island of Solo,
were engaged in their fishing, there arose so great a tempest that they
were unable to return to the shore. Thus they yielded to the force of
the storm, which was such that, in five days, it took them to the Land
of Gold, which is properly called the Southern Coast. When the
fishermen reached the Land of Gold, not having eaten during those days
of tempest, they set about seeking for provisions, and such happy and
successful fortune had they after searching the country for yams and
batatas, that they alighted on much gold in a cavern, enough to load
their boats until they could carry no more, but, when they were ready
to start loading, there came upon them so great a trepidation that they
did not dare take any of the gold away with them."

This further account of gold upon the Southern Continent strengthened
our belief that treasure would be found at the place of the painted
hands, to visit which our present voyage had been undertaken. But what
could have caused the fishermen of Lamakera so great a trepidation we
were at a loss to understand. Well, perhaps we would soon learn, for
Hartog reckoned we were not many leagues north of the place marked upon
the chart, which had encouraged us to embark upon this voyage.

CHAPTER XXX

A SPANISH SETTLEMENT

The "Golden Seahorse" being now repaired and revictualled, we once more
put to sea, and stood to the south at a safe distance from the coast
for fear of again meeting shoal water. On the morning of the first day
out we passed the shoal upon which we had so nearly lost our ship, it
being but a spot of land appearing above the surface, with several
rocks about it ten feet high, to be seen at low tide. It is of
triangular form, each side one league and a half long.

We now approached some formidable cliffs, which rose, like a gateway,
shutting out the land