Page "History of Mauritius" Paragraph 8

From that date, Dutch sailors shifted their choice to “ Rade des Tortues ” as a harbor.

In 1615, the shipwreck and death of governor Pieter Both, who was coming back from India with four richly laden ships in the bay, caused the route to be considered as cursed by Dutch sailors, and they tried to avoid it as much as possible.

In the meantime, the British and the Danes were beginning to make incursions into the Indian Ocean.

Those who landed on the island freely cut and took with them the precious heartwood of the ebony trees, then found in profusion all over the island.