16th February 1786

[16th February 1786]
16

ging o.n.o strand langs en na een uur rydens met eenige inhapjes quamen aan bosjemans riv: mond, keerde lang myn pad van 1778 terug en vond een half uur van hier eenen Jansen wonen. dus is dit land thans tot visriv: mond door onse boeren bewoond daar in die tyd het hier vol caffers vond.
vonden de wagen die de monument stenen opgeladen had alhier vertrokken na voslo kleine Sout fontein te rug in 5 uren ossewagen rydens.
reed met St Schepers vooruit om nog by bezuiden houd grote zout fontein te komen. dog door den donker verdwaalden. en maakten vuur in een bossig dal, daar wy ons met grote moeite droog en warm hielden gelukkig niet heel koud.

n:b: hier by is voor twe jaren een schuit denkelyk van een hollands schip op t’ strand geslagen sonder riemen legt hier nog.

16 betrokken styve westelyke wind, in den avond eerst mist wolken
daarna tot na middernagt styve stof regen met buyen
term 60 ­ 70 ­ 65
sagen veel kwaggas hartebeesten spring bokken
hier houden ook veel gerboos.

hoorden in den morgen oliphanten schreuwen.

[16th February 1786]
16

Went east north-east along the shore and riding for barely an hour around some inlets we reached the mouth of the Bushmans River. We returned along the road I took in 1778, and half an hour from here we found a certain Jansen living.
Thus this land is up to the Fish River mouth now occupied by our Boers, which in that time I found populated by Caffres.
Found the wagon here, which had already loaded the stones from the monument.
We departed back to Vosloo’s Kleine Soutfontein, five hours travelling by ox-wagon. Rode ahead with Stephanus Scheepers in order to reach Bezuidenhout’s Grote Zoutfontein. But because of the dark we became benighted, and made a fire in a wooded dell where we kept ourselves dry and warm with great difficulty. It was fortunately not very cold.

N.B. Two years ago close to this place a boat, probably from a Dutch ship, was cast up on the shore, without oars. It is still lying here.

16 Overcast. A stiff westerly wind.
There were at first misty clouds in the evening followed by stiff showers and drizzle until after midnight.
Thermometer: 60-70-65.

We saw many quaggas, hartebeests, and springboks. There are also many gerbils here.

Heard elephants squealing in the morning.