ed. Unfortunately they had left their muskets aboard of the ship, and having nothing to defend themselves with but what materials they could hastily collect, such as stones and clubs, and being overpowered with numbers, they fled with all haste to the ship, the Indians closely pursuing them. One of their companions, whose name was Van Horn, received a wound in his knee from an arrow, which disabled him, and he was captured. The remainder made their escape to the ship. Hudson, on receiving this intelligence from his men, ordered a number of his bravest men, well armed, to proceed immediately ashore and take Van Horn at all hazards. The men were quickly rowed ashore, and then cautiously penetrated the country, which was covered with forests so dark and dense that they could not discover an object any great distance ahead. Suddenly a tremendous war whoop was sounded, and then the Indians sprung from their hiding places, and with tomahawks in hand rushed on their assailants. Hudson's men gave them a warm reception, and leveling their muskets they brought several of the foremost of them to the earth, which checked their advance. The Indians seeing the fate of their comrades, and the noise of fire arms so terrifying them, they fled precipitately into the woods, Hudson's men pursuing them, but being unacquainted with the country, they were obliged to give up the pursuit. Van Horn had probably been carried off to meet an ignominious death from the hands of savages, who seldom show mercy to a captive. The crew returned to the ship and reported to Hudson their unsuccessful attempt to rescue Van Horn. When Hudson received this sad intelligence,

he immediately set sail. This was the second man he had lost by the Indians, and when the ship came between the Highlands, the natives again attacked them, repeatedly shooting at the crew with bows and arrows from several near points of land. Hudson's men discharged their muskets at them, and killed ten or twelve of them. In these conflicts, which were frequently renewed, none of the ship's crew appear to have been injured. On the 4th of October, just one month from the day on which Hudson landed within Sandy Hook, he came out of the river which bears his name, and without anchoring in the bay, immediately stood out to sea. By noon that day he was entirely clear of land, and steered directly for Europe.

Van Horn, who was taken prisoner by the Indians, was carried to the Indian village, which was located in Fishkill Hook, on the farm now owned by Charles Emans, and when the Indians arrived with their prisoner, curiosity became very much excited. The squaws, with their pappooses, flocked around Van Horn, all eager to get a sight of so strange a personage-admiring his light complexion, soft flaxen hair, and to them, delicate features. The Sachem took charge of his prisoner, and conducted him to his wigwam, and had his wounded knee dressed. He endeavored to make his situation as comfortable as it was in his power to do, for he valued his prisoner very highly. A bed of the finest robes was made for Van Horn to lie on, and some warm corn bread and bear's meat was placed before him. But he had no disposition to eat, for all hope had fled of his being rescued by his countrymen, and his heart sank within him. To think of his spend

ing the remainder of his life among savages, perhaps never to see his countrymen, and never to visit his native land again, made his agony of mind indescribable. The thought of home, parents, sisters and brothers, came up vividly before him. How they would weep when the ship would reach his country, and the mournful intelligence would be conveyed to them that he was wounded and taken prisoner by hostile savages, who were represented as being cannibals, and that he was probably put to death by the most excruciating tortures. Such thoughts occupied his mind as he lay in the wigwam of the Sachem.

This tribe of Indians had made some progress in civilization. They had a little clearing on the farm now owned by Van Wyck and Johnson, where they cultivated corn, called Indian corn because it was unknown to the Europeans until discovered here. They had an apple orchard, which was located on the farm now owned by John Waldo, traces of which are still visible. Pumpkins and grapes were also found in the country. The government of the Indians was absolute. The Sachem is the great arbiter of law. His power, however, is rather persuasive than coersive; he is reverenced as a father rather than feared as a monarch. He has no guards, no prisons, no officers of justice, and one act of ill-judged violence would pull him from his humble throne. It will be recollected that Van Horn was captured about the 20th of September. The Indian apple orchard then was in full bearing, and was loaded with ripe fruit, and the Sachem dealt out the fruit to his tribe as he thought proper. None of his tribe would venture in the orchard without

his permission, and the finest fruit he selected for Van Horn. Baked apples were placed before him in the wigwam, in the presence of the Sachem and his family, and every kindness was shown him. No pains were spared to make his situation pleasant and comfortable. The kind treatment that he received, revived his drooping spirits; his wounded knee was improving, and in a few weeks he was able to walk, and he ventured out of the wigwam for the first time to survey the country.

It was then the pleasant month of October, and the valley of Fishkill Hook presented to him a novel scene. In the rear of the Indian village was their apple orchard, in front was their cornfield, and the squaws were busily engaged in gathering the crops. Beyond lay interminable forests. The aged men and women were sitting near their wigwams, and the young men were all out on a hunt; the pappooses were playing in groups near the village, and the Sachem was superintending the doings of his people. He had erected a fort for a place of safety when attacked by tribes who were at war with him, and when obliged to retreat they would flee to this fort, and barricade themselves in, and keep the enemy at bay. This fort was located on a hill near the residence of H. D. Sherwood, and is known as Fort Hill to this day. In a few months Van Horn had entirely recovered the use of his limb, and the Sachem gave him permission to go a hunting with his tribe and fish in the Wiccapee, a small creek that runs through the valley of Fishkill Hook and discharges its waters in the large creek near Johnsville. During the long and severe winters the tribe would

fish in the large creek with nets made of thread twisted from the bark of Indian hemp, by cutting holes through the ice with stone axes or hatchets. In this manner they would catch large quantities of fish. Van Horn was not allowed to go alone any distance from the Indian village, the Sachem being fearful he might attempt to make his escape, but this was almost impossible. Hudson was the first European that had sailed up the river, and probably there would not be another expedition sent to make discoveries for some years. Hudson had been given the command of the Half Moon by the Dutch East India Company to discover a northwest passage to the East Indies, and as he was unsuccessful in discovering such passage, they probably would not soon attempt a second voyage. Under circumstances like these, Van Horn's chance for returning to his native land was almost hopeless, yet he did not despair. He could not entertain the idea for one moment of spending the remainder of his life among savages whose living was precarious, oftentimes suffering from hunger and cold; their little stock of provisions some times consumed before Spring, and then a scanty subsistence could only be procured by hunting and fishing.

Van Horn had been accustomed to all the comforts and luxuries of civilized life, but he fared with the Sachem and his family, which was poor enough. If any of the hunters succeeded in killing a bear, the Sachem selected the choicest part of the beast for himself, the remainder he divided among his tribe; and if a buffalo was killed, which was seldom, as the animal was scarce in this part of the country, he always