there was one ship called the _Batavia_, commanded by Captain Francis
Pelsart. They sailed out of the Texel on the 28th of October, 1628; and
as it would be tedious and troublesome to the reader to set down a long
account of things perfectly well known, I shall say nothing of the
occurrences that happened in their passage to the Cape of Good Hope; but
content myself with observing that on the 4th of June, in the following
year 1629, this vessel, the _Batavia_, being separated from the fleet in
a storm, was driven on the Abrollos or shoals, which lie in the latitude
of 28 degrees south, and which have been since called by the Dutch, the
Abrollos of Frederic Houtman. Captain Pelsart, who was sick in bed when
this accident happened, perceiving that his ship had struck, ran
immediately upon deck. It was night indeed; but the weather was fair,
and the moon shone very bright; the sails were up; the course they
steered was north-east by north, and the sea appeared as far as they
could behold it covered with a white froth. The captain called up the
master and charged him with the loss of the ship, who excused himself by
saying he had taken all the care he could; and that having discerned this
froth at a distance, he asked the steersman what he thought of it, who
told him that the sea appeared white by its reflecting the rays of the
moon. The captain then asked him what was to be done, and in what part
of the world he thought they were. The master replied, that God only
knew that; and that the ship was fast on a bank hitherto undiscovered.
Upon this they began to throw the lead, and found that they had forty-
eight feet of water before, and much less behind the vessel. The crew
immediately agreed to throw their cannon overboard, in hopes that when
the ship was lightened she might be brought to float again. They let
fall an anchor however; and while they were thus employed, a most
dreadful storm arose of wind and rain; which soon convinced them of the
danger they were in; for being surrounded with rocks and shoals, the ship
was continually striking.