h a terrible
experience, which is related in Therenot's _Recueil de Voyages curieux_,
and translated into English in Major's book, from which the following is
extracted:

"While Pelsart is soliciting assistance, I will return to those of
the crew who remained on the island; but I should first inform you
that the supercargo, named Jerome Cornelis, formerly an apothecary at
Haarlem, had conspired with the pilot and some others, when off the
coast of Africa, to obtain possession of the ship and take her to
Dunkirk, or to avail themselves of her for the purpose of piracy.
This supercargo remained upon the wreck ten days after the vessel had
struck, having discovered no means of reaching the shore. He even
passed two days upon the mainmast, which floated, and, having from
thence got upon a yard, at length gained the land. In the absence of
Pelsart, he became commander, and deemed this a suitable occasion for
putting his original design into execution, concluding that it would
not be difficult to become master of that which remained of the
wreck, and to surprise Pelsart when he should arrive with the
assistance which he had gone to Batavia to seek, and afterward to
cruise in these seas with his vessel. To accomplish this it was
necessary to get rid of those of the crew who were not of his party;
but before inbruing his hands with blood he caused his accomplices to
sign a species of compact, by which they promised fidelity one to
another. The entire crew was divided (living upon) between three
islands; upon that of Cornelis, which they had named the graveyard of
Batavia, was the greatest number of men.

"One of them, by name Weybehays, a lieutenant, had been despatched to
another island to seek for water, and having discovered some after a
search of twenty days he made the preconcerted signal by lighting
three fires, but in vain, for they were not noticed by the people of
Cornelis' company, the conspirators having during that time murdered
those who were not of their party. Of these they killed thirty or
forty. Some few saved themselves upon pieces of wood, which they
joined together, and, going in search of Weybehays, informed him of
the horrible massacre that had taken place.

"Having with him forty-five men, he resolved to keep upon his guard,
and to defend himself from their assassins if the