of the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope. 259 



parties sent out for that purpose ; particularly from Van der 

 Helm and Verberg, who with two other persons, penetrated 

 about 18 miles* behind the Table Mountain, going through 

 the pass t between that and the Lion's Head. They made a 

 very favorable report of having discovered immense forests of 

 large trees, and a great number of deer, steenboks, and other 

 game, and also civet cats. 



He received at this time a reinforcement of 50 men, by two 

 ships from Holland ; and the Minister Boukerius having 

 arrived in the ship Whale, Van Riebeck had, on Sunday, the 

 12th of this month, the gratification "of hearing the first 

 sermon preached, and of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper 

 being administered, in an uncovered part of the house in the 

 square of the intended fort." 



Having held his last Council, called the General Council, % 

 on board the Dromedary, at which all the Captains were 

 present ; he, on the following day, in obedience to the orders 

 of his employers, gave to the four bulworks or points of this 

 little fort, the names of the ships which were then at anchor. 

 The south point was called the Dromedary ; the east, the 

 Whale ; the west, the Elephant ; and that to the northward 

 was named the Heron. The yacht, which was to remain here, 

 had already given her name, " The Good Hope " to the whole 

 fort. 



Some days afterwards, he visited the wreck of the ship 

 Haerlem,§ the loss of which, as appears from the memorials 

 or representations mentioned in the first chapter, gave rise to 

 the establishment of this Settlement. But the vessel, with 

 her guns, were too deeply sunk in the sand for him to turn 

 them to any advantage at that time ; although the benefit 

 which he might subsequently derive, did not escape his pros- 

 pective genius. 



Towards the end of this month, a disease called by him the 

 red dysentery or Bloody Flux, made great ravages amongst 

 his people ; — lost five before the month was out ; besides a 

 soldier who died on board the Hof van Zealand, and was 

 buried here. 



Nothing further remarkable happened, except the taking of 

 a young hippopotamus, the flesh of which had the flavour of 

 veal, and being distributed amongst the sick, whose number 

 was daily increasing, tended, in some measure, to their comfort. 



June- — The month of June proved still more discouraging. 

 In the first five days alone, three of his men died ; and it 

 appears from other remarks in his diary, that fevers, flux, and 



• Or 6 Dutch miles,— each being equal to about 3 English, 

 t tsually called the ' Kloof from the Dutch. 



Records of Council under date 11th May, 1652. 



1 his vessel was wrecked on the eastern side of Table Bay (Oostwal 





