Hippos at Loango

In November 1607 Pieter van den Broecke sailed from Texel on a trade voyage to West Africa. He served on the ship Neptunus, of which Adriaen Jansz. was the skipper. The voyage brought Van den Broecke to the kingdom of Loango by the 22nd of April 1608, where Van den Broecke acquired ivory. He was sent to the king, from who he obtained permission for the Dutch to trade at Mayomba. In June, while at his ship, Van den Broecke observed four hippo’s, which he called seahorses. He went near them with a boat, but was unable to shoot one. The image shows one of the hippo’s he saw on the foreground. To its left we see a large squid. At the back are the Dutch ship and four more hippo’s.