Great Escapes: Deserting Soldiers during Noodt's Cape Governorship, 1727–1729.

The article examines a series of group desertions and a rebellion attempt by soldiers employed by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) under the rule of Cape Town, South Africa Governor Pieter Gysbert Noodt between 1727 and 1729. Noting that Noodt's reputation for cruelty does not completely explain the military unrest, the author explores the overall conditions of 18th-century VOC soldiers during a period of rapid frontier expansion. Particular attention is given to how the abandonment of the VOC outpost Rio de Lagoa, or Delagoa Bay, due to low profitability influenced discontent in the Cape.