OVERdeBERG

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© Jacques Louw (2021). Alle regte voorbehou.

Jaargang 2 Uitgawe 94

In hierdie uitgawe...

Vrydag 10 Desember 2021 Remembering Ann & Mike Scott

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Skolenuus uit die Overbergstreek

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Fact vs. Fiction and the Malan’s

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Lees binne...

0656862204 (WhatsApp) overdeberg2020@gmail.com (e-pos) Kontak ons gerus!

Bolandklere vir Anelmari Foto: Hoërskool Bredasdorp/FB

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Vrydag 10 Desember 2021

Van die redakteur Dit is uitgawe 94 van OVERdeBERG en baie welkom aan elkeen van julle.

Die jaar snel einde se kant toe en 2022 is net om die draai.

In hierdie uitgawe van OVERdeBERG is daar die fassinerende storie oor die navorsing wat dr. Jan Malan gedoen het, sowel as Jimmy Herbert oor die Schonenberg (1722). Baie interessante leesstof vir ons geskiedenisliefhebbers. Daar is ook heelwat ander nuus en foto’s van dwarsoor die Overberg.

Met die vakansie op hande, vra ons dat julle asseblief veilig sal bestuur op ons paaie en mekaar in ag te neem.

Groetnis uit Kuwait!

“You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.”

Great excitement and appreciation to Gerhard Van Der Westhuizen from the Swellendam Fietsryklub and Anton Groenewald from the Swellendam Municipality, who organised the donation of 10 lovely strong bikes to Olyfkrans College. Cycling is one of the sports offered at the school. During the December holidays they unfortunately experienced a burglary and their bicycle shed was emptied of most of their cycles. Years of carefully repairing and collecting bicycles was lost and the boys had to put cycling on hold until now. Happy faces and excitement. Thank you to Mr Edwin van der Vyver for running the cycling club and helping to organise this great gesture.

Photo: Cathy van Eeden

Albert Camus

Veels geluk aan Swellendam se Sakkie Franken wat vroeer vanmiddag as Uitvoerende Burgemeester van die Overberg Distriksmunisipaleit herverkies is.

Foto: Langeberg Bulletin/FB

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Vrydag 10 Desember 2021

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Ann & Mike Scott… ...for always remembered

Photo: Overberg Crane Group/FB Former CapeNature staff members Ann and Mike Scott will forever be remembered in the Overberg for their role in the co-founding the Overberg Crane Group. Enjoy their account of how they became involved: "Today, South Africa’s national bird, the Blue Crane is well established as one of the charismatic conservation and tourism icons for the Overberg. Yet this status did not always exist. Way back in 1991, when we were both based at De Hoop Nature Reserve, a call came through late one Friday afternoon. Some 50 Blue Cranes had been found poisoned on a farm near Bredasdorp; most were dead, but about nine were still alive. Could we come and save them?

The suspected poison was an organophosphate product, widely used for the treatment of blowfly on sheep. At that stage, we at Cape Nature Conservation and Museums had had little to do with Blue Cranes. They did not occur on the Reserve, where the primary focus was on other endangered species including the Cape Vulture and African Oystercatcher. We were ill equipped to deal with this kind of emergency.

Continued on page 5

380 000 L dam with Rubber Sealant

The original Liquid Rubber

Click below to view

Click below to view

Photo: www.bluecrane.or.za overdeberg2020@gmail.com

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Vrydag 10 Desember 2021

Kombuiskuier Jacques Louw

soppoeier. Bedek met water, en kook vir minstens 3 ure tot die beesstert sag is. Voeg die laaste pakkie soppoeier in die laaste halfuur by, en laat dit ook goed deurkook. Bedien met rys of stampmielies.

Beesstert met droëvrugte

Spaghetti Kerriehoender

Bestanddele: 1,5 kg beesstert 2 pakkies beesstert-soppoeier olie 2 uie (in ringe gesny) 2 knoffelhuisies (fyngekap) water 1 kg gemengde droevrugte 100 ml volroom sjerrie 30 ml Worcestersous 50 ml blatjang 5 loerierblare 3 groot aartappels (in stukke gesny) 2 groot wortels, (in ringe gesny) 1 pakkie jongmielies

Bestanddele: 500 g spaghetti 3 – 4 hoenderborsies (in dikkerige repe gesny) 1 houer Bulgaarse joghurt handvol klapper vars koljander (gekap)

Kerriesous 2 groot uie (fyngekap) 2 lourierblare 3 naeltjies 2 stukke heel kaneel 1 teelepel komyn 1 rissie, grof gekap 1 opgehoopte lepel kerriepoeier 1 teelepel borrie 1 teelepel vars knoffel Metode: Rol die beesstertstukke in 1 pakkie soppoeier. Verhit ‘n 1 teelepel gemmerpasta kastrol en braai die beestert in olie tot bruin aan al die kante. 2 eetlepels tamatiesous Verwyder uit die kastrol. Braai die uie en knoffel tot sag.

Metode: Voeg alles saam in die kastrol, behalwe die laaste pakkie Kook die spaghetti vir 10 minute in kookwater, waarby jy ‘n knippie sout gevoeg het.Moenie die spaghetti afspoel nie – dreineer dit en plaas dit terug in pot en hou eenkant. As jy wil, roer ‘n stuk botter of margarien deur om die spaghetti los en romerig te maak.Braai die uie in ‘n bietjie olie waarby jy die lourierblare, naeltjies, kaneel, komyn en rissie voeg. Sodra die uie sag en deurskynend is, voeg die kerriepoeier, borrie, knoffel, gemmerpasta en tamatiesous by.

Roerbraai tot alles lekker deurgemeng is en nie meer rou ruik nie. Voeg ‘n bietjie water by sodat die mengsel nie vasbrand nie. Voeg die hoen-derstukke by en kook tot gaar – omtrent 20 minute. Roer die joghurt by om ‘n lekker dik sous te maak. Meng die spaghetti met die hoendersous.

Strooi ‘n handvol klapper oor en roer tot goed gemeng.

Foto’s & resepte: RSG Resepte 4

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Vrydag 10 Desember 2021

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Ann & Mike Scott… ...for always remembered Continued from page 3 What to do about this emergency? First, we phoned out friend Dr Gerhard Verdoorn at the EWT Poison Working Group. Did we have atropine? No, we replied! Well, then we needed to obtain some valium (a well-known tranquillizer) from a chemist and inject the birds. The dosage must be according to their weight.

An obliging chemist kindly kept the business open until we could collect the drug. And then we set off. When we arrived at the farm, with the sun starting to approach the horizon at an alarming rate, Mike stood outside on a bathroom scale holding a crane and we weighed them together, subtracted his weight to arrive at that of the bird, and then managed to inject an appropriate dose. As we recall it, five or six of the birds managed to survive. This somewhat inauspicious beginning became the seed for an ongoing commitment. “The cranes” became “our cranes”. Some of our conservation-minded farmers approached us and expressed a desire to become part of addressing the problem.

Based on much talking, listening and working together, the Overberg Crane Group was born in October 1991. It has been guided by a comprehensive, dynamic action plan that continues to involve more and yet more enthusiastic participants. And the rest is history."

Source: Overberg Crane Group/FB

‘n Dringende versoek uit Bredasdorp The Animal Anti Cruelty League, is in dire straits. We are doing any activities possible to generate funds to save our organisation.

Our vehicle is about to literally fall to pieces & we do not have the funds to have it repaired. We cannot go on doing this difficult & emotionally draining work for the animals, for more than 3 months at the absolute most.

We appeal to anybody who is able to help. We are asking for monetary donations because we have so many areas in crisis, medicine shortages, food shortages, astronomical vet bills, salaries to be paid etc. and your donations will certainly be more than appreciated & used where the need is the greatest.

We are also collecting bags of empty tins, any sizes will do.

Bags can be dropped off at Susuki or De Groene Kat or WhatsApp 072 124 1653 to have them collected from you.

In case needed, our banking details follow: AACL Bredasdorp Bank: Nedbank Account number: 1470012383 Branch: Bredasdorp Piet Everson (Chairman Bredasdorp) 0824572318

overdeberg2020@gmail.com

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Vrydag 10 Desember 2021

Skolenuus uit die Overberg

She is affectionately known as ‘Tannie Ria’ to not only the countless Hermies pupils that have passed through the school but also their families, the school’s present and past principals and staff, members of the school governing body and PTA, and just about anyone who has ever had anything to do with Hermanus High School over the past 28 years.

Having recently celebrated her 75th birthday, Ria Acker has finally closed the door on this significant chapter in her life as the school secretary. The void that her retirement will leave at the school and within the wider community is almost unthinkable and there was hardly a dry eye in the school hall last Saturday morning where an intimate farewell ceremony was hosted in Ria’s honour. (Written by Hedda Mittner) Photo’s: Hermanus High School/FB/Titanium Photography

Hoerskool Bredasdorp se Norte Mintoor (graad 9), het op Saterdag, 16 Oktober, vir die Boland 0/15 Sewes rugbyspan teen onder andere SWD en WP gespeel. Die Bolandspan het in twee opwindende wedstryde hierdie spanne geklop.

Foto: Hoërskool Bredasdorp/FB

Onthou…

2022 is om die draai. Stuur gerus julle skool se nuus en foto’s aan ons vir gratis volkleur publikasie aanlyn.

Hoerskool Bredasdorp se personeel het op 26 November 'n "funky" haredag ten bate van 'n fondsinsameling vir kanker gehad. Hulle het ook ander skole in ons streek uitgedaag om dieselfde te doen.

Foto: Hoërskool Bredasdorp/FB 6

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Vrydag 10 Desember 2021

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Skolenuus uit die Overberg

V.l.n.r. is George de Kock, Janco Fourie en Anna Pretorius wat verlede Saterdag deelgeneem het aan ‘n tweekamp in die Paarl. Dit was George se laaste tweekamp vir Hoerskool Bredasdorp.

Foto: Hoërskool Bredasdorp/FB

Bolandklere vir Anelmari van Niekerk Hoerskool Bredasdorp se Jurie-Johann Groenewald (graad 12), is ingesluit in 'n 7's rugbyspan, die ‘Peregrines’ wat hierdie jaar aan 'n internasionele 7's toernooi in Dubai sou gaan deelneem het. Al hierdie spelers kom uit die Boland.

As gevolg van COVID-19, is hierdie toernooi na Oktober 2022 uitgestel en sal dan op die eiland Mauritius plaasvind. Jurie-Johann is as ook as onderkaptein van die span gekies.

Foto: Hoërskool Bredasdorp/FB

Hoerskool Bredasdorp is baie trots op Anelmari van Niekerk wat verlede naweek haar Bolandklere in krieket verwerf het. Boland het Saterdag ’n verlede Saterdag oefenwedstryd teen Olifantsvallei op Bolandpark in die Paarl, gespeel. Gedurende die komende vakansie speel Boland in ’n toernooi in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth).

Foto: Hoërskool Bredasdorp/FB overdeberg2020@gmail.com

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Vrydag 10 Desember 2021

Witsand se hawehoof amptelik heropen

Die Uitvoerende Burgemeester, Grant Riddles, het op die 6de Desember 2021, die nuwe hawehoof by Witsand (Government Jetty) amptelik heropen.

Witsand se hawehoof was aanvanklik in April 1940 geopen en Lance Tomlinson was een van die grootste dryfvere agter die oprigting van die oorspronklike hawehoof, hoofsaaklik om as vasmeerplek vir Rademan en Tomlinson se dekskuit, Die Infanta, te dien.

Nadat menigte klagtes rakende die kondisie van die hawehoof ontvang is, het die munisipaliteit ‘n strukturele ingenieur aangestel om die strukturele kondisie van die hawemuur te bepaal. Hulle verslag het aangetoon dat die struktuur vervang moet word en dat dit nie geskik was vir publieke gebruik nie. Hierdie proses is reeds in die 2019/2020 finansiele boekjaar afgehandel. Dieselfde ingenieursfirma is ook in dieselfde finansiele jaar aangestel om die ingenieurstekening op te stel. Die bepaling van die kondisie van die hawehoof en die ingenieurstekening het ongeveer R150 000 beloop.

Meyer Beton was verantwoordelik vir die oprigting van die nuwe struktuur en het die projek (wat R1.5 miljoen beloop het) op 1 Oktober 2021 aan die munisipaliteit oorhandig.

Die nuwe struktuur se onderbou is van gegalvaniseerde staal gemaak waarvan die staalpype met sement gevul is ten einde addisionele steun aan die struktuur te verleen.

Die dek is van ʼn spesiale plastiek vervaardig wat spesiaal gemaak is om glybestand te wees.

Bron & foto’s: Hessequa Municipality/FB

“I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see.”

John Burroughs 8

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Vrydag 10 Desember 2021 Fact vs. Fiction and the Malan’s With regard to the numbered quotes on pages 47-48:

9 JIMMY HERBERT Retired lecturer: Stellenbosch University (1977-2013) Writer & Specialist in Maritime History and Archaeology

#1) There is no archival proof for this and can thus more than likely be attributed to the imagination of these mentioned authors. How many farmers in those days could afford to leave their farms and daily chores to hang out for several months, or as long as it takes, for a specific ship (Schonenberg) to arrive back from the East. #2) Again there was no archival proof found to substantiate this. #3) The records show that it was both Van Soest and the Schonenberg’s second recorded visit to the East and not its 8th visit. #4) There is no mention made of a more than normal valued cargo. #5) She was not heading directly for the shore but rather she was on a westerly route more or less parallel to land.

Unfortunately, this route might have been slightly too close to shore and the currents appear to have also been pushing the ship northward, thus she struck one of the last protruding points – Northumberland Point. #6) The ship was lost in the early hours of the 20 th of November and not at midday on the 22nd of November 1722. #7) The Schonenberg was lost off the Northumberland reef that has very little sand. They also state that the ship drove up and onto the reef. From 800m out they could also never walk ashore. #8) In the many reports and court papers, no mention was ever made of bales of silk, packages of pepper, costly Oriental woods, boxes full of Eastern silver, ornaments of gold and precious stones, ever being on board or taken ashore. #9) According to the historical record, it would appear, as it still is today, that after a north-west storm and on spring tide (the ship stood through three spring tides) most of the damage to the ship was done by the waves. #10) No mention is found of Klopper being murdered or committing suicide.

To the contrary, Klopper was still around for many years. #11) The court documents show that the Council of Justice found the Skipper Van Soest and his officers (Willem Verbeek and Pieter Corver) guilty of negligence alone and never of running the ship aground deliberately or plundering the ship after her loss. #12) None of them were ever jailed, or let alone deported, broken on the wheel or executed. #13) Malan was never involved in these court proceedings and far from ever being deported, Malan went on to be a prominent figure at the Cape for many years to come.

So after over six decades of slander and character assassination, the Malan name has finally been cleared. Such sensational publications were done by many over the years, the last one being by South Africa’s present SAHRA maritime archaeologist (unaware of Malan’s research published already two years earlier) in his book The Cape Odyssey 105 - Wrecked at the Cape - Part 2 (2015). Contrary to all defaming statements they might have made, the archival and archaeology facts have substantiated the opposite. overdeberg2020@gmail.com

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Vrydag 10 Desember 2021 Fact vs. Fiction and the Malan’s

high Dutch and old charts, to mention but a few. Others have been able to acquire such knowledge only after years of dedicated study.

A study of the well-recorded archival records of the VOC, contrary to what had been published as historical fact for that Dr. Jan Malan (previously head of DENEL, Overberg over six decades, revealed a totally different story of the relTest Facility) decided to conduct a full archival research evant happenings in the period 1722 to 1723. and put this legend to rest once and for all. It was around A PLANNED STRANDING: From the thorough study of the the same time that the author started to do the same. facts, it soon became clear that this act of stranding and plunder could never have been a planned event and that the stranding of the ship was due to gross negligence on the part of the skipper, Albert van Soest and his two officers, the first and second mates. They had not, as would have been expected, diligently measured the depths they were sailing in and had also made other navigational errors. TREASURES OF GOLD AND SILVER: Apart from the fact that a vast treasure of gold and silver was never mentioned in the investigation, the probability of it ever having been on board is also remote.

This is due to the fact that these metals were more valuable and sought after in the East and thus usually found on board outward-bound vessels, not homeward-bound ones. SALVAGEABLE CARGO: Furthermore, mention is often made of the cargo (coffee, tea, sugar, pepper and sapan wood) being underwater, ruined and thus not worth salvaging. MURDER AND SUICIDE: As far as murder and suicide are concerned, no mention of these acts could be found in the archival recVergelegen garden plan (above 1712; below 2012) ords. TORTURE, DEPORTATIONS AND EXECUTIONS: It is certainly clear that one of the people, wrongly drawn into the “conspiracy, theft, treasure and punishment” stories, was Jacob Malan. With regard to Jacob Malan’s guilt or innocence − the main reason for this new push for the historical truth − it was established that a more unlikely character for these accusations would be hard to find. He could not have been part of any plundering of a ship nor could he have been banished to the East in chains. As for the former, he was already well into his 50s in 1722 and as for the latter, he was elected a deacon of the Stellenbosch congregation some two years later in 1724.

Continued from page 11

The historical records of 1733 go on to show that Malan was still alive and well, living at the Cape as a well-known gentleman with no fewer than 32 slaves, 50 horses, 140 cattle and 900 sheep to his name. The Malan descendants can proudly say Jacob Malan passed away in 1742 as a pillar of society.

He was buried in grave #8 at Stellenbosch Dutch Reformed Church.

The retired Dr. Malan proved to be a historical ’breath of fresh air’. Within literally weeks after starting off as a novice, after only asking the odd question and asking for help here and there, he evolved into a fully-fledged historical researcher. His scientific background ensured that he only used and reported what was found in the historical documents and never allowed himself the luxury of any form of speculation – only the facts. Furthermore, what the author found phenomenal was that in only a few months, Dr. Malan had already grasped the essence of many sub-maritime and historical study fields fully – distance of the times and nationalities, compass deviation over time, understanding 10

When looking at some of the other fictitious points put forward in the publications of Rosenthal (1951), Green (1958) and recently Diemond (2010) and Grobelaar (2012), the following can be affirmed: To sail from the East to Cape Town took around three full months. The area near Agulhas being relatively unknown and where good drinking water was scarce, one asks oneself, how would the farmers have known when the ships would arrive at that place and how would they be able to leave their livelihood and survive there while waiting for months at a time.

Continued on page 9 overdeberg2020@gmail.com

Vrydag 10 Desember 2021 Fact vs. Fiction and the Malan’s Continued from page 12 Legend has it that at the farm (Vergelegen) coloured slaves were ordered to unload the wagons, and after nightfall three or four of them were told by Klopper (one of the farmers) to carry the gold, silver and precious stones into the orchard behind the house. Shortly afterwards, the rest of the party heard shots. Not one of the slaves returned. Some days later Klopper died mysteriously (#10) and as a result of his death,

11 the location of the exact spot, where the treasure had been buried, was lost. The others frantically started searching for the treasure but soon realised they could not locate the spot.

The officials from the Castle sent to arrest them found them still at work with picks and shovels, oblivious of their personal safety (#11).

Governor de Chavonnes was merciless. The men were put on trial at the Castle and received barbaric sentences, as was to be expected in the early 18th Century. Captain Van Soest was first broken on the wheel and then strangled (#12). As Van der Heyden and Malan remained unshaken in their statement after being tortured, the Governor reluctantly accepted their word and ordered them to be deported to Batavia in chains (#13)…”

In South Africa, the Malan’s are a very proud, strong and united family. Over the years members of the Malan family have often been confronted with these so-called “historical facts” that denounce one of their ancestors as a criminal of southern Africa’s past. From time to time, the odd Malan tried to stop these, in their mind untrue rumours, but to no avail.

It was in 2012, after reading another new publication of “historical facts” in which Jacob Malan was again reported to have stolen treasure and had been shipped away to the East in chains,

Willem van der Stel’s farm Vergelegen (1798)

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History of the Overberg ...above and below the waves Jimmy Herbert

Fact vs. Fiction and the Malan’s (as taken from RESTING IN HER LIGHT: Schonenberg 1722 & Meermin 1766; E. J. Herbert,2016) Over the ages, the Dutch have stood out as a wellorganised culture that always kept meticulous written records of virtually everything they did. Their archival depositories in both The Hague (Netherlands) and Cape Town (South Africa) have been well preserved and looked after.

By going through the bulk of relevant historical documents, it became crystal clear that the publications by Eric Rosenthal (1951) and Lawrence Green (1958) are nothing more than a number of the following: a fictional outcome originating from the possible combination of superficial research, an inability to read the original handwritten archival documents, incompetence in translating and understanding the old Dutch records, the indiscriminate and ruthless misuse of historical ‘facts’, a possible disregard for the truth and/or a highly imaginative mind.

“Schonenberg story” normally runs along these lines: “On 21 November 1722 a group of men were sitting near Cape Agulhas, the most southerly promontory in Africa, looking intently out to sea. Beside them lay a large heap of timber and firewood, stacked together to withstand the gale and waiting to be lit at a moment's notice. They were Hendrik Klopper, Jacob van der Heiden and Jacob Malan - all of them farmers in the Hottentots Holland district of the Cape. These farmers had trekked from Vergelegen, through the still roadless kloofs, across the Palmiet River, the Bot River, through to Uilekraal and on to the present-day Struis Bay beach, where they encamped (#1).

As the ‘Schonenberg’ neared the most southern tip of Africa, there was much activity. The crew were in high spirits for, after a voyage of several months from Batavia, they expected to be in Table Bay before another two days had passed where they expected to enjoy themselves in taverns and brothels (#2). However, it appears that Captain Albertus van Soest had other plans. This was the eighth round trip the ‘Schonenberg’ had made to India (#3) and once again she was carrying a valuable cargo (#4). But this time, she was heading directly for land (#5). It took the crew a while to realise what was happening. Then they shouted in consternation as a line of surf was seen straight ahead of the ‘Schonenberg’.

At midday on 22 November (#6) the Indiaman ran aground.

Fortunately, it was on a sandy stretch of the coast (#7) and the crew waded safely to the shore. After drying himself, the Captain sat down to write a letter to Governor de Chavonnes at the Castle in Cape Town. Putting three of the mates in charge of the greater part of the crew, he ordered them to make their way overland to the Cape.

From this evolved the legend in which names mentioned in the records were apparently taken and ruthlessly used in tales (often used as fact) of conspiracy, the deliberate wrecking of the homeward-bound ship, a vast treasure stolen and buried on a famous farm, and even insinuations of murder and suicide. The result of all this, as repeated over and over, was a swift, cruel and often regarded as very harsh justice applied to the people mentioned.

This trend to publish sensation and popular “history” has continued to this day as can be seen in Marius Diemont’s publication in 2010 (The Strandveld, Africa's Foot of Isolation) and that of Jeanette Grobbelaar (Golgotha van die Oseane – Skeepsrampe aan die Agulhas-kus) in May 2012.

What both this author and Dr. Jan Malan (who researched this topic in depth) believe to be a fictional version of the 12

He himself remained behind with only 20 of the men. By now the sailors who had stayed behind began to suspect that the wrecking of the ship was due to something more than chance.

With surprising promptitude, the previously mentioned farmers arrived from their lookout at Cape Agulhas and offered to help. Gear was then erected between the ship and the shore.

All through the night and the following day Van Soest, the farmers and the trusted members of the crew conveyed bales of silk, packages of pepper, costly Oriental woods, boxes full of Eastern silver, ornaments of gold and precious stones, to the beach (#8).

The following day a strong south-easter set in and knocked the ‘Schonenberg’ about to such an extent that she began to break up (#9). But by then the Captain, along with the three farmers, was on the way to Vergelegen, accompanied by the heavily laden wagons. Governor de Chavonnes was astonished when the first party of castaways gave him the news of the shipwreck and his surprise later turned into suspicion.

Continued on page 11 overdeberg2020@gmail.com