Tasman.
1642.
none were seen, though their noise was heard. Muscles were found sticking to bushes, in different places. The country was covered with trees; but so thinly scattered, that one might see every where to a great distance amongst them, and distinguish men and animals. Several of the trees were "much burnt about the foot; and the ground was here and there like little squares (vuysterchen), and become as hard as stone, by fire."
A short time before the boats returned, a thick smoke had been observed upon the continent, to the west of where the ships lay at anchor; and from the people staying so much longer than they had been ordered, it was thought to have been made by them, as a signal. But on inquiry, they answered in the negative; and said that they, also, had seen smoke in several places; and bushes—(here seems to be a line omitted.) "So that without doubt, here must be exceedingly tall people."
Dec. 3. A boat was sent to the south-east part of the (outer) bay, and found fresh water; but it broke through the low shore to the sea, and was brackish; and the soil was too rocky to dig wells. In the afternoon, commodore Tasman went, with several officers from both vessels in two boats, to the south-east extremity of the bay; taking with them the Prince's flag, and a post upon which was cut a compass, to be erected on shore. One of the boats was obliged to return, from the bad weather; but the shallop went to a little cove W.S.W. of the ships. The surf being there too high to admit of landing, the first carpenter, Pieter Jacobsz, swam on shore with the post and Prince's flag; and set it up near the last of four remarkable trees, which stood in the form of a crescent, in the middle of the cove. "When the first carpenter had done this, in the sight of me Abel J. Tasman, of the master Gerrit Jansz, and under-merchant Abraham Coomans, we went with the shallop as near as possible to the shore, and the said carpenter swam back, through the surf. We then returned on board; and left this as a memorial to the