The Batavia, which carried a number of chests of silver
money, went to pieces on the reef. The crew of the ship managed to land
upon the rocks, and saved some food from the wreck, but they were without
water. Pelsart, in one of the ship's boats, spent a couple of weeks in
exploring the inhospitable coast in the neighborhood, in the hope of
discovering water, but found so little that he ultimately determined to
attempt to make Batavia and from there bring succor to his ship's
company. On July 3d he fell in with a Dutch ship off Java and was taken
on to Batavia. From there he obtained help and returned to the wreck,
arriving at the Abrolhos in the middle of September; but during the
absence of the commander the castaways had gone through a terrible
experience, which is related in Therenot's _Recueil de Voyages curieux_,
and translated into English in Major's book, from which the following is
extracted:
"While Pelsart is soliciting assistance, I will return to those of
the crew who remained on the island; but I should first inform you
that the supercargo, named Jerome Cornelis, formerly an apothecary at
Haarlem, had conspired with the pilot and some others, when off the
coast of Africa, to obtain possession of the ship and take her to
Dunkirk, or to avail themselves of her for the purpose of piracy.
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