11 A landing was made on the coast of New Guinea, where the master of the Arnhem and ten of his crew were killed in conflict with the natives.
In the morning ... sent the pinnace ashore in the same fashion as last time, but earnestly charged the subcargo to use great caution, and to treat with kindness any natives that he should meet with, trying if possible to lay hands on some of them, that through them, as soon as they have become somewhat conversant with the Malay tongue, our Lords and Masters may obtain reliable knowledge touching the productions of their land ... at night when our men returned with the pinnace, they informed us that the strong surf had prevented them from landing, and that they had accordingly, for fully two miles’ distance, rowed up a fresh-water river which fell into the sea near the yacht, without, however, seeing or hearing any human beings, except that in returning they had seen numerous human footprints near the mouth of the river: and likewise two or three small huts made of dry grass, in which they saw banana-leaves and the sword of a sword-fish, all which they left intact in conformity with their orders.
This same day the skipper of the yacht Aernem, Dirck Melisz(oon) without knowledge of myself, of the subcargo or steersman ... unadvisedly went ashore to the open beach in the pinnace, taking with him 15 persons, both officers and common sailors, and no more than four muskets, for the purpose of fishing with a seine-net; there was great disorder in landing, the man running in different directions, until at last a number of black savages came running forth from the wood, who first seized and tore to pieces an assistant, named Jan Willemsz Van den Briel who happened to be unarmed, after which they slew with arrows, callaways (spears) and with the oars which they had snatched from the pinnace, no less than nine of our men, who were unable to defend themselves, at the same time wounding the remaining seven (among them the skipper, who was the first to take to his heels); these last seven men at last returned on board in very sorry plight with the pinnace and one oar, the skipper loudly lamenting his great want of prudence, and entreating pardon for the fault he had committed.
12 in the day-watch the skipper of the Aernem, Dirck Melisz., died of the wounds received the day before, having suffered grievous pains shortly before his death.
15 the plenary council having been convened, it has been deemed advisable to appoint another skipper in the Aernem in the room of the deceased, to which place has been appointed a young man, named Willem Joosten van Colster [van Coolsteerdt], second mate in the Pera, as being very fit for the post,while at the same time the second mate Jan Jansz(oon) has been named first mate in the said yacht.
16 at a distance of about 10 miles by estimation into the interior, we saw a very high mountain-range in many places white with snow, which we thought a very singular sight, being so near the line equinoctial. Carstensz Pyramid, Irian Jaya is named after him. Carstenszoon sighted the glaciers on the mountain, but was ridiculed in Europe when he said he had seen snow near the equator.