262 An Historical Account of the Formation, Sfc. 



from Holland, assistance in men, &c. and in case of such being 

 refused by the Commanders, " to protest against them, in 

 equity, for all costs, hinderances, damages, and inconve- 

 niences," which the Company might sustain from their 

 unwillingness and refusal. And to take such further steps as 

 might be found necessary for the service of their employers. 



He again sowed wheat and other things, and planted medlar 

 and quince seeds ; and, for the third time, ate turnips from the 

 seed sown on his arrival. At the end of this month, however, 

 he suffered from heavy rains, and hail storms, and saw the 

 -whole country almost deluged with water ; perceiving, at the 

 same time, the utility of a bank thrown up for the protection 

 of his garden. 



September. — The commencement of September was favour- 

 able, and Van Riebeck had the satisfaction of enjoying some 

 of the vegetables sown as an experiment on his arrival. 



But his peace was disturbed by a very disagreeable 

 occurrence with a corporal named Joost van der Laak, who, in 

 a fit of drunkenness, insulted him. — This man affords, thus 

 early in our history, a remarkable instance of the consequences 

 of intemperance. On the 13th of the preceding month, he sat 

 in Council with Van Riebeck, and signed his name to the 

 Resolutions they had taken ; and on the 4th of this month, 

 the Records of the Council begin thus : 



" As the corporal Joost van der Laak has, for bad conduct, 

 opposition, &c. been placed in arrest by our Council, and his 

 situation has, in consequence, became vacant," it was resolved 

 to appoint in his place, the volunteer Paulus Petkouw, a native 

 of Daatziek, to whom, therefore, the halberd was ordered to be 

 given, in presence of the people, as a sign of authority. And 

 four persons, namely, Symon Turvei, Commander of the 

 yacht, as President ; Gerrit Abels, his Mate ; and the provi- 

 sional corporals Paulus Petkouw, and Jan van Gulyk, were 

 delegated as Judges, to decide this difference between the 

 Commander and Joost van der Laak ; and P. van den Helm 

 was directed to act provisionally as Fiscal. The depositions 

 of several witnesses in this case, are found from page 1 to 7 of 

 the Attestation Book (from 1652 to 1671). It is from Van 

 Riebeck's diary, however, we learn, " that Van der Laak, for 

 having been guilty of insolence, &c. was suspended from 

 actual service, as might be more fully seen in the Records and 

 final sentence ;" probably in the Sentence Book. 



Besides this, Van Riebeck's chief occupation was a trfp to 

 Robben Island in the yacht, to acquire a more accurate know- 

 ledge of it, and to ascertain if a whale fishery could be 

 established, and seals killed there, for the benefit of his 

 employers. And, as his store of pearl-barley and dried pease, 

 began to fail, he brought back a great number of plungcon> 



