8o NORTHMOST AUSTRALIA 



place and then returned to the strand, where they found the two canoes in which the 

 natives had first visited the ship. While they sat on the beach, 19 natives came up to 

 them, having their bodies all besmeared with red, and held a frolic with a kind of song. 1 

 Then they were treated to some arrack with sugar, and shortly afterwards they retired 

 satisfied into the wood. 



" In the morning of the 27^, our men landed again, to see if they could not capture 

 a man or two, but they did not succeed in doing so that day, because they were too 

 late to entice the natives to the beach. Early in the morning of the 2&th they landed 

 again in order to execute their plan. On their arrival the natives came dancing and 

 singing, sat down beside them and laid aside their so-called assegais or weapons and 

 again indulged in drinking, under the influence of which two of them were seized, 

 whereupon the others jumped up and set upon our people with their assegais, without, 

 however, wounding anyone ; but the ship's clerk, who was trying to get hold of one 

 of the savages, was slightly wounded by him in the hand. Then a shot was fired and 

 one of the natives was wounded and the others fled into the bush. Our people then 

 tried to drag to the boat the two men they had got hold of, but while they were 

 being tied up one of them, by superhuman biting and tearing, managed to break 

 loose and took to flight. Immediately thereafter, upwards of 50 natives came up, 

 preparing to throw assegais, but a single volley put them to flight. Then our men 

 took their one captive on board." 



On 2<)tb May, the " Rijder " dropped anchor at noon in 

 12 31' S., i.e., about 4 (English) miles north of DUYFKEN POINT. 

 She lay at anchor all the next day, and two canoes paddled out and 

 inspected her from a distance of half a mile (Dutch). On the 

 3U*, she cleared DUYFKEN POINT, and at noon was in lat. 

 12 44' S. (SEE MAP D.) After contending with a contrary 

 current, she anchored at sunset in ALBATROSS BAY, which Gonzal 

 named MOSSELBAAIJ. Asschens had recognised it five weeks earlier 

 as Tasman's VLIEGE BAIJ. 



On 1st June, only a short distance was sailed in the forenoon, 

 and an anchor was dropped in 12 51' S. A boat was sent out the 

 following day, and reported abundant water at or near the " PERA'S " 

 WATERING-PLACE of 9th May, 1623, where " the chart showed a 

 fresh- water river." The " Rijder " moved on, on yd June, to the 

 position indicated, which was in 12 57' S., between PERA HEAD 

 and FALSE PERA HEAD, and dropped her anchor. A stay of ten 

 days was made here while water and firewood were taken in and the 

 boat was repaired. " Water came rushing down the rocks, and there 

 was also a fine pool where many birds of different sorts were seen." 

 The place was named RIJDER'S WATERPLAETS. The above descrip- 

 tion is not unlike that of the " P era's " Waterplaets, but the two 

 may be distinct, although they cannot be far apart. No natives 

 were seen. 



The voyage was resumed on iyh June. At noon the latitude 

 was 13 2' S. (the narrative gives 12 2' S., evidently a clerical 

 error). On the 14^, it was 13 8' at noon. " At the first glass of 

 the dog-watch," the anchor was dropped, slightly to the south of 

 the RIJDER'S HOEK. To this prominence, in 13 10', modern 



1 This is the first record of white men having been entertained with a CORROBORREE. 



