inspection of the blacks' camp convinced us that nothing of the kind
existed, at all events, in this part of the country. Such ornaments or
utensils as the natives seemed to possess were of the crudest
description, made of wood or clay, or consisting of shells and pebbles
from the seashore. The stories of fabulous wealth, therefore, to be
found in this new land appeared to be myths. It was to seek for
treasure that the "Endraght" had been equipped by a number of merchants
at Amsterdam, of whom my master, De Decker, made one, and we realized
how disappointed they would be if we returned empty-handed. Our crew,
also, began to show signs of discontent, and to murmur at having been
brought so far on a fool's errand. It was only Dirk Hartog's
indomitable personality that prevented a mutiny.

It was this same sordid greed for gain which had caused Christopher
Columbus to be sent home in chains from America because he had failed
to find gold. The acquisition of new countries did not interest those
who equipped the navigators of this time. For this reason, no attempt
was made by Hartog to take possession of any of the countries we
visited. It was to find treasure he had been sent out, and should he
return without it he might look for a surly welcome.

Yet Hartog himself, I am convinced, with the spirit of a great
navigator, found satisfaction in having accomplished so long a voyage,
to reach the goal for which he sailed.

"Can I help it, Peter," he said to me one evening when we sat together
in his cabin examining the charts I had drawn under his directions,
"that the natives of this country are poor? Gold, ivory, precious
stones, spices even, seem not to exist in the South as they do in the
East. Did I make this country, that I should be held responsible for