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him, and after manning and victualling her he left on his return to the Abrolhos on the 15th of the month.

In the meantime, however, there was great trouble among those left behind on the islands. After the shipwreck the supercargo, Jerome Cornelisz (a chemist of Haarlem), with several accomplices had formed the intention of refloating the ship and sailing her for piratical purposes, a trade which in those days was far from being unremunerative. To this end they remained on the vessel for some ten days, until, in fact, she fell to pieces, and they had considerable difficulty in gaining the shore. Cornelisz then as supercargo took command of the company, which at that time was distributed among three islands, the largest number and most of the miscreants being with him. The distribution on three islands arose from the fact that a few days previously some of the men, in charge of a soldier, Webbye Hays, had gone off to a third in search of water.

The supercargo having been on the island for about a month after the wreck, and seeing that the ship was rapidly breaking up, realized that his first intention of piracy was out of the question. He therefore resolved, with the aid of his accomplices, to murder all the people except forty men, and then with the scoundrels that remained seize the yacht which he expected Pelsart to bring from Batavia and go pirating with her. Selecting those upon whom he could depend, a contract was made out to which all agreed. The wording of this bond, really an agreement to commit wholesale murder, is so curious that it may be interesting to print it in full:—

"We, the undersigned, in order to take away all distrust that exists or might arise amongst us, bind ourselves herewith, on the salvation of our souls, and on the solemn oath that God shall truly help us to he true to each other in everything and to love each other as brothers; also promising not to do each other any injury whatsoever in person or possession without first verbally declaring to each other the breach of the peace, in knowledge whereof we have signed this contract on the 12th July, 1629, on the island Bataviæ's Herkhof." The signatures followed. (The language was probably