barrels contained only six gallons each, and we put them on their
shoulders, all the signs we could make to get them to carry them were
useless. They stood like statues, without motion, grinning like so many
monkeys. Having watered our vessel we once more put to sea.

We were now, by our reckoning, somewhere in the vicinity of New
Holland, and at six o'clock in the evening we shortened sail. We were
then in twenty fathoms of water, when suddenly we again found ourselves
in deep water, and believed all danger at an end. But in less than an
hour, without warning, our ship struck on a rock, and remained
immovable. Not being near to any shore we were well aware of the
gravity of our position. We feared we had struck a submerged coral
reef, and all sails were immediately taken in, and the boats lowered.
We had struck just before dark, and at daylight I observed land some
eight miles distant. High tide was expected at about eleven o'clock,
when it was hoped the vessel would float off, though we feared she
would sink in deep water.

At twenty minutes past ten the ship floated, but the leak she had
sprung gained on the pumps, and there was now three feet nine inches of
water in the hold. The men were wearied to death. Each could only pump
a few minutes at a time, and then sink exhausted upon the deck. At
first we despaired of saving the ship, but eventually we got a sail
drawn over the leak, and anchored seven leagues from the shore. Next
day we found a safe place where the vessel could be moored near the
beach, where, on examining the ship's bottom, we found that a large
piece of rock had broken away from the reef and remained stuck in the
hole it made. Had it not been for this singular fact the "Golden
Seahorse" must have foundered.

During the week which followed this adventure, which had almost proved
disastrous to our voyage, we lightened the ship as much as possible,
and made our camp ashore. We judged we had now come to the coast of New
Holland, and since I had been the first to observe it on the morning
after we had struck upon the reef, Hartog named that part of the coast
Peter's land.

The ship being safely careened, the carpenters set to work to repair
the damage done to the hull by the sharp rocks, and, as this would
occupy some time, we decided to overhaul our stores, of which we made
an inventory. At this work we found the services of Pedro de Castro of
great value. De Castro was a man well versed in figures,