The 10th, going ashore in the boat for victuals as usual, and having doubled a point, they saw three canoes with savages, who went immediately on shore, and scrambled up the mountains like monkeys. The Dutch examined the canoes, in which were only a few young divers, some wooden grapnels, skins of beasts, and other things of no value. Going on shore to see if the savages had left any thing, they found a woman and two children, who endeavoured to run away, but was taken and carried on board, shewing few signs of fear or concern. She was of a middle size and reddish colour, with a big belly, a fierce countenance, and her hair close cut as if shaven, whereas the men wear their hair long. She had a string of snail-shells about her neck by way of ornament, and a seal's skin on her shoulders, tied round her neck with a string of gut. The rest of her body was quite naked, and her breasts hung down like the udders of a cow. Her mouth was very wide, her legs crooked, and her heels very long.
This female savage would not eat any of their boiled or roasted meats, so they gave her one of the birds they had found in the canoes. Having pluckt off the long feathers, she opened it with a muscle shell, cutting in the first place behind the right wing, and then above the stomach. After that, drawing out the guts, she laid the liver a short time on the fire, and eat it almost raw. She then cleaned the gizzard, which she eat quite raw, as she did the body of the bird. Her children eat in the same manner, one being a girl of four years of age, and the other a boy, who, though only six months old, had most of his teeth, and could walk alone.[90] The woman looked grave and serious at her meal, though the seamen laughed heartily at her strange figure, and unusual mode of feeding. She afterwards sat down on her heels like an ape; and she slept all gathered up in a heap, with her infant between her arms, having her breast in his mouth. After keeping her two days on board, de Weert set her on shore, giving her a gown and cap, with necklace and bracelets of glass beads. He gave her also a small mirror, a knife, a nail, an awl, and a few other toys of small value, with which she seemed much pleased. He cloathed the boy also, and decorated him with glass beads of all colours; but carried the girl to Holland, where she died. The mother seemed much concerned at parting with her daughter, yet went into the boat without resistance or noise. She was carried to the shore, a league west from the ship, to a place which she pointed out, where the seamen found a fire and some utensils, which made the seamen believe that the savages had run away on seeing the boat.
[Footnote 90: They had no means to ascertain his age, and must have concluded him only six months old from his small size; but from his teeth and walking alone, he was more likely to have been two years old, and his diminutive size was probably occasioned by the miseries of the climate, and wretchedness of every kind to which these outcasts of nature are subjected.--E.]
When the boat returned, a new storm arose, during which the waves often overtopped the masts, and tossed the ship so violently that they momentarily expected she would have been overset or split in pieces; but, by the blessing of God, she got out of this bay, to which they gave the name of Unfortunate Bay. Next day they cast anchor towards evening in the channel of the straits, but finding the anchor had no buoy attached, and the weather being too violent to allow of supplying one, they had again to weigh, and put before the wind, and at length got into the bay of Cordes, fourteen or fifteen leagues farther eastwards, near the middle of the straits. In this passage they kept as near as possible to the south side of the channel, that they might be seen by the Fidelity, and even fired a gun off the mouth of a bay in which they supposed she lay, as a signal, to which they imagined that they heard another gun in answer from their consort, and continued their course in the full belief of being followed by the Fidelity. In this passage the strength of the wind drove them so fast, that they had to fasten their boat astern with two strong hawsers to preserve her, and to diminish the velocity of their course; but the heavy rolling waves broke both hawsers, and they lost their boat, by which they were reduced to great difficulty, having now no means of getting on shore in search of provisions.
Next day, being the 16th December, they saw a boat making towards them from the westwards, which occasioned various conjectures; but at length turned out to belong to the fleet of Van Noort. This unexpected meeting gave great joy to the seamen, and the men in this boat were received with much respect by de Weert. They were all in perfect health and vigour; and, among other things respecting their voyage, told of having caught above 2000 birds at the great Penguin Island. This intelligence made the sailors in the Faith extremely anxious to get there, and several of them were bold enough to tell Captain de Weert, that it was necessary they should go there, where they might as well wait for a fair wind as in any other place, and besides, that it was only a league out of their way. But de Weert declared he would on no account part company from Van Noort. This general came in person next day to visit de Weert; and the day following, being the 18th December, the whole fleet joined him. The wind changing to S.W. on the 22d, they all set sail; and after proceeding two or three hours, de Weert requested the loan of a boat from general Van Noort, with three or four men, that he might go before to direct Captain de Cordes to get ready to sail with the fleet; but he could not find the Fidelity.
The Faith was now grown very foul, and unable consequently to keep up with the fleet; for which reason, being off the Bay of Knights, where she met the ebb current, she was forced to go in there. The 23d she was again opposed by adverse currents in a narrow channel, and unable to follow the other ships. The 24th they tried again, but were unable to get round a point, behind which the fleet of Van Noort lay at anchor; and finding it impossible to double that point with the present wind, de Weert resolved to wait till it changed, that he might not fatigue his men by persisting in vain attempts. But, although the wind was contrary, Van Noort proceeded farther on, in search of a more secure anchorage, by which de Weert lost sight of the fleet, though not far off, in consequence of an intervening high point of land.
Despairing of being able to rejoin the fleet of Van Noort, and finding it impossible to subsist his men without a boat, de Weert ordered the pieces of one which were in the hold to be taken out, that they might be put together. This was on the 25th December; but having the wind at north next day, he attempted to get next day into a small bay, a league farther on than the Bay of Knights, in which the boat might be more conveniently built: but the violence of the wind forced him back into the Bay of Cordes, five leagues farther to the east. Here, on the 26th and 27th, they endured so great a storm, that the seamen began to murmur again, as having been a whole fortnight without procuring any muscles, having nothing to subsist upon in all that time but a scanty allowance of biscuit and oil. Seeing their insolence, de Weert called them into the cabin, giving them good words, and even desired their advice as to what was best to be done in this difficult conjuncture. Some were of opinion, that they should proceed to Rio de la Plata in the boat, abandoning their ship, and give themselves up to the Spaniards. Others were for going to St Helena in quest of provisions. The pilot, John Outgetz, was for going to Guinea or the Gold Coast of Africa, where he was known, having made five voyages there. None of these opinions pleased de Weert, who told them, that he could not come to any determination without the consent of Captain de Cordes.
In the mean time, the boat being now ready, de Weert went ashore in her on the 1st January, 1600, to get her properly caulked. In the afternoon, having doubled the southerly point, two boats were seen, which belonged to Van Noort, who had put back to the Bay of Knights in search of the Faith. Next day, Van Noort returned back, promising to make search for the Fidelity. De Weert also sent his boat, with his ensign and one of his pilots, on the same search, and gave them a letter for Van Noort, requesting a supply of biscuit sufficient for two months. The boat came back on the 5th with the general's answer, saying, That he was not sure of having enough of biscuit for his own men, neither knew he how long he might be at sea, and therefore could not spare any. This answer afflicted de Weert; and having now no hopes of being again rejoined by de Cordes, he resolved to proceed for Penguin Island, to lay in a large store of these birds, and then to follow the fleet of Van Noort, if the wind proved fair. Before sailing, he wrote a letter for de Cordes, which he left buried at the foot of a tree, and nailed a board to the tree, on which was painted, Look at the bottom of this tree.
On the 11th January, 1600, de Weert made sail for Penguin Islands, and next day came to anchor under the smaller of these islands, where he immediately landed with thirty-eight men in tolerable health, leaving the pilots and other seamen on board. Leaving three men to keep the boat, the rest fell to killing birds, of which there were a prodigious quantity in the island. In the mean time the wind grew nigh and the sea very stormy, by which the boat was thrown so high upon the rocks, and so filled with water, that the boat-keepers were unable to get her off, or to heave out the water, and so much tossed by the surges that they expected every minute to have her stove to pieces. In this extremity the seamen were almost in despair. Without the boat it was impossible for them to return on board. They had no carpenters, no tools, and no wood, with which to repair their boat, as there was no wood whatever on the island. They were all wet, as they had waded into the water as high as their shoulders to draw the boat from the rocks, and they were starving with cold. Fortunately, at low water, the boat being aground, they recovered an axe and some tools, with a few nails, which revived their hopes of being able to get back to the ship. But as it was impossible to get the boat drawn ashore before night for repairs, they were obliged to pass the night on shore in the open air, where they made a fire of some broken planks from the boat, and eat some birds half-roasted, without bread, and with so little water that they could not quench their thirst.
As soon as day appeared on the 13th, every one went cheerfully to work, in repairing that side of the boat which was most injured, which was quite refitted before night. Next day the other side was repaired; and having loaded her with 450 penguins, they went aboard on the evening of the 14th, having been three days on shore. While they were catching penguins on the 12th, they found a savage woman, who had hid herself in one of the holes. At the time when Van Noort landed here, there was a band of savages on the island, by whom two of his men were slain; in revenge of which Van Noort had destroyed them all but this woman, who was then wounded, and who now shewed her wounds to the seamen. She was tall and well-made; her hair cut quite close to her head, and her face painted, having a kind of cloak on her body, made of the skins of beasts and birds, neatly sewed together, and reaching down to her knees, besides which she had a skin apron; so that the savages on the north side of these straits appear to be more modest in their apparel than those on the south side. By the dead body of one of these savages, who had been slain by Van Noort, it appeared that the men wore their hair very long; besides which his head was ornamented with fine feathers, and he had others round his body. They use bows and arrows, the arrows being very neatly pointed with hard flints. De Weert gave this woman a knife, who informed him by signs, that he would find a greater plenty of birds in the larger island. They left her where she was, though she requested, by signs, to be transported to the continent. They now went to the larger island, in order to get a larger supply of birds.