"Pelsart arrived during these occurrences in the frigate _Sardam_.
As he approached the wreck he observed smoke from a distance, a
circumstance that afforded him great consolation, since he
perceived by it that his people were not all dead. He cast anchor,
and threw himself immediately into a skiff with bread and wine,
and proceeded to land on one of the islands. Nearly at the same
time a boat came alongside with four armed men. Weybehays, who was
one of the four, ... informed him of the massacre, and advised him
to return as speedily as possible to his vessel, for that the
conspirators designed to surprise him, having already murdered
twenty-five persons, and to attack him with two shallops, adding
that he himself had that morning been at close quarters with them.
Pelsart perceived at the same time the two shallops coming towards
him, and had scarcely got on board his own vessel before they came
alongside. He was surprised to see the people covered with
embroidery of gold and silver and weapons in their hands, and
demanded of them why they approached the vessel armed. They
replied that they would inform him when they came on board. He
commanded them to cast their arms into the sea, or otherwise he
would sink them. Finding themselves compelled [Sidenote: 1629]
to submit, they threw away their weapons, and being ordered on
board, were immediately placed in irons. One of them, named Jan
de Bremen, confessed that he had put to death or assisted in the
assassination of twenty-seven persons. The same evening Weybehays
brought his prisoner on board.
"On the 18th day of September the captain and the master-pilot,
taking with them ten men of Weybehays' company, passed over in
boats to the island of Cornelis. Those who still remained thereon
lost all courage as soon as they saw them, and allowed themselves
to be placed in irons."
Pelsart remained another week at the Abrolhos, endeavouring to recover
some of the _Batavia's_ treasure, and succeeded in finding all but one
chest. The mutineers were tried by the officers of the _Sardam_, and all
but two were executed before the ship left the scene of their awful crime.
The two men who were not hanged were put on shore on the mainland, and
were probably the first Europeans to end their lives upon the continent.
Dutch vessels for many years afterwards sought for traces of the marooned
seamen, but none were ever discovered.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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