k, and found Gerrit was not yet
there. Several families of Indians had erected their huts upon the
beach, whereby Simon's house was very accessible. This was done with
the consent of his wife, with whom he had left the profit from the
Indians. While we were engaged in obtaining some oysters, Gerrit with
Jaques and his son and daughter rode up in a wagon. Jaques had come
for the purpose of attending to a sick horse of Simon, which had a
certain disease, they call here the staggers, to which their horses
are subject, and with which the creatures whether going or standing
constantly stagger, and often fall; this increasing they fall down at
last, and so continue till they die. It is cured sometimes by cutting
the tip end of the tail, and letting the blood drip out; then opening
a vein, giving the animal a warm drink and making a puncture in the
forehead, from which a large quantity of matter runs out. The boat
being leaky, and a right calculation not having been made as to the
tide, we remained here to-day, intending to leave early in the
morning, and, therefore, made every preparation. We had expected
another person to go with us, but there were only us three.

_4th, Monday._ We left Gouanes Bay at high water, about eight o'clock,
with a southerly wind, but calm, and rowed with the current to Gheele
Hoeck,[300] where we made sail, and crossed the bay to Achter Kol,
where we knew there were some Indians lying behind Constables Hook. We
sailed there in order to request one of them, named Hans, to go with
us as a guide. Hans had long frequented among the Dutch, and spoke the
Dutch language tolerably well. He was a great _nitap_, that is, friend
of Gerrit. He refused at first to accompany us, saying he had just
come from there; and when we urged it upon him, he said, "would you
Christians do as much for us Indians? If you had just been there and
had come back tired and weary, and some Indians should come and ask
you in the midst of your children, in your own houses, while busied
with your occupation, would you be ready immediately to go back with
them?" We answered yes, upon proper terms. He said, "I do not think
so, I know well what you would do." We told him, we would fully
satisfy him. He wished to make a bargain beforehand, which we did not,
as we wanted to see whether he would earn anything. He allowed himself
to be persuaded; "but," he said, "I will lose so much time in making
_zeewant_," which is their money and consis