ill forbear saying anything
more for the present.

These Indians had _canticoyed_ there to-day, that is, conjured the
devil, and liberated a woman among them, who was possessed by him, as
they said; and indeed, as they told us, it had that appearance, but I
have never seen it.[308]

[Footnote 308: The _canticoy_ of the Indians was wild dancing.]

We fared better this night than the last, and whether from fatigue or
other reasons, slept soundly.

_7th, Thursday._ We had intended to go to Najacq, to Jaques's, and
afterwards to Elbert's in the bay, in order to report to them how we
had found their land, but Gerrit having promised his father-in-law
some firewood, he had to take Simon's boat for the purpose, and
Simon's wife also had some errands in the city. We, therefore,
determined to go with them, as we did, leaving Gouanes at ten o'clock,
and seeing the Indians putting up their huts which they had entirely
thrown down during their intoxication, although it was not much
trouble, as it was not much to make them. With a tolerably fair wind
we reached the city at noon, where we gave ourselves up to rest.

We wished now to make a voyage to the Nevesinkx, Rentselaer's Hoeck,
and Sant Hoek, but we could find no opportunity, for the reason that
this route is very little navigated in the winter and spring, because
it is somewhat dangerous. Meanwhile, the weather continued very
variable; sometimes we had frost and severe cold, then rain and snow,
wind and squalls, until the time of the sun's crossing the line, when
it began to become warm, but continued still variable, though it
improved daily.

_20th, Wednesday._ While my comrade sat writing, he observed a change
in his vision, being able to see better than before, when he had to
look extremely close in writing. It happened thus: writing as he was
accustomed to do, his sight in an instant became entirely obscured, so
that he had to stop, not being able to write any more. Not knowing
what it was, he shut his eyes and rubbed them, as they usually do when
anything obstructs the sight, and then undertook to write as he had
done before, but yet he could not see well; when raising his head
higher from the paper, he saw much clearer than when he had to look
close to it. Had he kept his eyes up so high before, he would scarcely
have been able to see at all. You could also perceive that his writing
was different afterwards.

A yacht arrived down the river from the Hysopes,[309]