Hartog wished to come with us, but I persuaded
him that his place was on board our ship, which, remembering how the
Spaniards had, on a former occasion, pirated the vessel, he could not
deny.
"You are right, Peter," he said, when we had argued the matter. "We
cannot both go, and, since I am captain of the 'Golden Seahorse', I
clearly perceive my duty is to stand by her through fair and foul."
The matter being thus concluded, I took command of the party for the
shore. In the forenoon we rowed for the beach in two pinnaces, well
manned and armed. In all the places where we had landed we had treated
the blacks with kindness, offering them pieces of iron, strings of
beads, and pieces of cloth, hoping by these means to win their
friendship, and to be allowed to explore the country; but, in spite of
our friendly overtures, the blacks received us everywhere as enemies,
and nowhere more so than in this land of pygmies and giants. We
therefore determined to waste no more time in making useless efforts
for peace, but to meet force with force. Twelve men, well armed, we
considered to be a match for all the savages we were likely to
encounter during a day's march inland.
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