 This position is supported by the fact that Houtman was familiar with the Abrolhos Archipelago, having sailed through it in 1598.Others assert that "abrolhos" was a Portuguese lookout's cry which, like many other Portuguese maritime terms, was taken up by sailors of other nationalities, becoming by Houtman's time a Dutch loan word for offshore reefs.Additionally, Frederick De Houtman had at least some grasp of Portuguese, having been sent by Amsterdam merchants to Lisbon from 1592 - 1594 with his brother Cornelis to learn about the Portuguese route to the Indies.