He made one attempt to land, in search of water, on a little group of islands hard by, which, as it was Epiphany, he called Three Kings, after Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar.

But the surf was rough and a throng of natives, striding along, shaking spears and shouting with hoarse voices, terrified his boat's crew.

He gave up the attempt and sailed away, glad, no doubt, to leave this vague realm of storm and savages.

It says something for his judgment that amid such surroundings he saw and noted in his log-book that the country was good.

He had called it Staaten Land, on the wild guess that it extended to the island of that name off the coast of Terra del Fuego.