In the morning of the 27th our men went ashore again for the purpose of attempting to get hold of one or two natives, but did not succeed in doing so that day, because they landed too late to lure the natives to the beach. Early in the morning of the 28th they again landed in order to execute their plan; on their arrival the natives came up to them dancing and singing, sat down close to them, laid aside their so-called assagays or weapons, and again enjoyed the liquor with which our men plied them. While they were thus making merry, our men seized hold of two of them [*], upon which the others jumped to their feet, snatched up their assagays and began to throw them at our people without, however, wounding any one; except that the ship's clerk, who in flying tried to seize one of the natives round the body, was in the scuffle slightly wounded in the hand; upon this, our men fired a volley, wounding one of the natives, who thereupon all of them fled into the bush. Our people then tried to drag to the boat the two men they had got hold of, but as they were tying their {Page 95} arms and legs together, one of them by frantic biting and tearing contrived to get loose and effect his escape. Shortly after upwards of fifty natives again made their appearance, throwing assagays, but they also took to their heels, when our people let off another volley of musketry, after which our men succeeded in carrying off their one prisoner to the boat. [* A sorry return for kindness received!] {Page 96} On the 29th of May, the wind being S.E. and S.E. by E. with a top-gallant gale, they put to sea again, running S.S.W. close by the wind in from 10 to 11 fathom good anchoring-ground. At noon they found their latitude to be 12° 31' South, and dropped anchor in 10 fathom good anchoring-ground, at about 1 or 1Ω mile's distance from the land, their compasses showing 3° 49' north-easterly variation. On the 3Oth of May, as they were lying at anchor, two small prows came to within half a mile of the ship and then paddled back to shore. On the 31st of May, the wind being East and E.S.E., with a top-gallant gale, they set sail close to the wind on a southerly course. At noon they took the latitude of 12° 44' South, having passed depths of 10 and 10Ω fathom. At sunset the countercurrent forced them to drop anchor before the Mosselbaaij. On the 1st of June, the wind being E.S.E. and S.E. by E. with a weak top-gallant gale, they set sail over depths of 10Ω, 11, 12 and latterly 10Ω fathom again, good anchoring ground, upon which they dropped anchor in the forenoon. At noon it fell a calm, and they took the latitude of 12° 51' South, the compasses showing 3° 3' north-easterly variation.