lies in lat. 31° 50', long. 134° 25';* and next day, a piece of wood,
which had some time been fixed to the deck of a ship, was found upon the
shore; but the nails were then rusted away. Fire wood was abundant here.

[* The account in _Van Keulen_ is somewhat different. He says "we steered
for the Land of Endragt: and on Dec. 28, got soundings in 63 fathoms,
sandy bottom. The ensuing day we had 30 fathoms, and the coast was then
in sight. The Island Rottenest, in 32° south latitude, was the land we
steered for; and we had from 30 to 10 fathoms, in which last we anchored
on a sandy bottom."]

VLAMING. 1697.

Jan. 5. Vlaming went on shore (to the main coast), with eighty-eight
armed men, and walked inland to the eastward. There were a few large, and
some small trees, from which dropped a kind of _gum-lac_; but they found
nothing which could be used as food: the birds were small cockatoos and
green parrots, and both were very shy. At the end of three hours walk
they came to a piece of water, which was salt, and upon the beach were
footsteps of full-grown persons and of children. No men were seen, but
they observed many smokes; and found three deserted huts, so low and
ill-constructed as to be inferior to those of the Hottentots.

On the 6th, they divided themselves into three parties: one took to the
north, another to the south, and the third went four miles east, more
into the interior; but, except one or two decayed huts, they met with
nothing. Being returned to the salt lake without finding fresh water,
they dug a pit near the side of it, and obtained wherewith to relieve
their thirst. The lake had fallen a foot, which showed it to have a
communication with the sea; and they afterwards found the outlet, a