1653 at the Cape of Good Hope:

By the end of January 1653, once the last of the stragglers had moved inland, Jan van Riebeeck had acquired a total of 230 cattle and 508 sheep through trade. The strong south-easterly winds had nearly destroyed the wheat and peas, but the cabbages, turnips, and carrots had grown very well, and there was a good supply ready for the return fleet. Bread and other supplies brought from Europe were almost gone. To save the cattle for the fleet, the settlers continued to rely on the islands and the sea for food. Rabbits, young seals, penguins, other seabirds, eggs, and fish made up a large part of the workers’ diet. Naturally, they complained constantly, and some even began stealing from the gardens at night, killing sheep, pretending to be sick, and generally ignoring the rules they were supposed to follow. Very harsh punishments were handed out, but they had little effect, and the problems continued until the root cause was addressed. ^[3]

For nearly eight months, the only vessel in the bay had been the small yacht. Then, on 18 January 1653, the galiot Zwarte Vos arrived under skipper Theunis Eyssen. She had left Texel on 4 September the previous year and had been sent to report that war had broken out between the Netherlands and the Commonwealth of England. It was believed that the English might send a fleet to St Helena to intercept the Company’s ships returning home with valuable cargoes from India. As a result, orders were given for ships to travel together and avoid that part of the Atlantic. Their route was changed to sail west and north of the British Isles, then along the coast of Norway and down the European shoreline to the ports of the Netherlands. The commander at the Fort of Good Hope was instructed to strengthen his garrison by keeping twenty-five or thirty soldiers from the first ship that called, and to remain on guard against any surprise attack by the enemy. The council immediately decided to keep the galiot at the Cape and to send the Goede Hoop, the better of the two vessels, to Batavia with the news. The yacht had recently made its second trip to Saldanha Bay and Dassen Island and was anchored off the fort. She was made ready for sea in five days and sailed on the 23rd. Every effort was now made to strengthen the fort so that it could be defended if attacked. There is no doubt that the commander would have done everything a brave and loyal officer could to protect the post under his command, but it was fortunate for him that no enemy appeared. His cannons, he reported, were so light that they could not fire a cannonball more than halfway to the anchorage. The fort was overlooked by the slopes of the Lion’s Rump, so if a strong enemy force landed, it would almost certainly have to surrender. Several members of the garrison were disloyal, and a few were ready to commit almost any crime. It is clear, therefore, that Mr Van Riebeeck’s ability to defend the settlement against anything stronger than a Hottentot raiding party could not be relied upon at this time. ^[3]