reminding him we might yet find chances to enrich
ourselves before returning home, but I could see he was troubled by the
thought that the voyage he had accomplished with so much skill and
daring might prove resultless in the accumulation of wealth.
In order to hearten the crew with fresh adventure, the course of the
"Endraght" was now directed toward the islands of the Pacific. These
islands were reported to abound in pearl shell, and whilst cruising
among them we looked forward to obtaining a supply of pearls which
might compensate the merchants at Amsterdam for the expense of our
voyage, and send us all home rich men.

CHAPTER VI

THE FIGHT ON THE SANDS

I must now tell of all incident I would willingly have left unrecorded,
but as I have undertaken to set down here, in the order of its
sequence, each event which took place upon my voyages with Dirk Hartog
on southern seas, I must not, as a faithful chronicler, omit to record
each happening in its order.

Now it so fell out that our first supercargo, Gilles Miebas Van Luck,
bore me a grudge, although I could recall no act on my part upon which
to attribute it, unless it be that I had gained the favour of the
captain, of which I could see Van Luck was jealous. From the first Van
Luck made no secret of his dislike of me, and more than once he
complained to Hartog that by reason of my youth; I being at the time of
sailing but nineteen years old, it would be more seemly if I took my
meals with the men in the forecastle instead of in the cabin. But
Hartog had overruled his objections. As his secretary he maintained I
was entitled to berth with the officers, and after my rescue from the
inhospitable shores of Terra Australis I continued to occupy my former
place at the captain's table, although I would as lief have messed with
the men sooner than have been the cause of a quarrel.

At length matters came to a climax, when Van Luck ordered me to set
about some menial work which I did not consider compatible with my
position as the captain's secretary, and which, therefore, I declined
to perform. In his rage at my refusal Van Luck came at me with a
belaying pin in his hand, but I had fought many a battle with the
fisher lads upon the sands at Urk, and was well able to take my own
part, so that when Van Luck was almost upon me I nimbly stepped aside,
and with a trick I had been taught by an old smuggler at Urk, I tripped
him as he passed so that he fell into the sc